Many of the business and government leaders who gathered in Copenhagen for the United Nations climate talks believe that market forces in general—and consumers in particular—will drive the transition to a low-carbon economy. It’s a comforting thought, but I wouldn’t count on it just yet. Having coined the term “green consumer” in 1986 and co-written the million-selling book, The Green Consumer Guide in 1988, I clearly believe in the effectiveness of well-targeted consumer action in tackling environmental issues—but I also fear that anything today’s green consumers may do will be swamped by the actions of hundreds of millions of tomorrow’s new consumers in the emerging markets, particularly in China.

Climate change sceptic and Professor of Geology, Ian Plimer and Guardian journalist George Monbiot finally engaged in a live debate on climate change this week. The pair have long been at odds over the science behind man-made global warming; indeed, the quarrel itself warmed considerably in the months following the publication of Plimer's latest book, 'Heaven and Earth', which says that there is no evidential basis to anthropogenic warming of the atmosphere.

The United Nations climate-change summit is a vital moment in the world’s effort to avert catastrophe. openDemocracy authors reflect on what needs to happen and how much Copenhagen can achieve. By Sue Branford, Ian Christie, Andrew Dobson, John Elkington, Øyvind Paasche, Oliver Tickellof OpenDemocracy.org.

Talks at the Copenhagen climate conference were suspended for a period today after a coalition of developing countries withdrew their co-operation. The crucial talks, which had just resumed after a weekend break, were disrupted when the African countries, supported by the G77 and BASIC bloc, staged a walk out, angered that the conference was weakening in support for the Kyoto Protocol. Although, negotiations have since resumed, today’s debacle is just another episode in a conference plagued by drama, bravado and very little real progress.

The climate-change conference at Copenhagen on 7-18 December 2009 has long been surrounded by high (if perhaps unrealistic) hopes that a successor deal to the Kyoto protocol could be reached that would reflect the world’s firm commitment to address a planetary emergency. But as it nears, the expectations have begun to dissolve in a welter of disenchantment and pessimism. Is Copenhagen, after all, bound to fail; and if it is, where does that leave the global effort to avert catastrophe?

"I have never seen anything like it before," said Michelle Moran, a young resident of Cork. Just seven days ago, the ground floor of Moran's house on the Western Road was under approximately a metre of water. Since then, the waters have receded but for many throughout the country the situation remains extremely serious. This past week saw Ireland's worst weather in decades devastate large parts of the country, particularly in the south and west.

In Galway, the level of flooding remains severe today with acres of farmland and towns and villages throughout the county still underwater. Cork City, meanwhile, has re-opened for business but the clean up operation continues in certain areas and is expected to cost millions of euro. Throughout the south and west, houses lay ruined, businesses remain shut and in the worst affected regions there remains a palpable atmosphere of shock at the swift and merciless devastation.

Instituting energy efficiency measures in public sector buildings could save the taxpayer up to €100m in two to three years, according a report by Dublin Friends of the Earth (DFOE).

The ‘Through the Roof’ report shows that only one in five public buildings in Ireland have Display Energy Certificates (DECs).  Public buildings with a floor area greater than 1,000m² are legally required to have a DEC since 1 January 2009. This equates to approximately 5,000 public buildings in Ireland.

Carbon emissions trading could create up to 5,000 jobs in Ireland. However, some groups say that carbon trading could trigger another financial crisis.