Costing the Earth - Countdown to Copenhagen

Tom Heap looks behind the jargon and political scene-shifting to ask whether or not a definitive new deal on climate change will come out of the talks at Copenhagen in December 2009. Politicians from around the world will attempt to thrash out a deal in Denmark's capital city to limit the damage that the changing climate on the planet. Most now accept that this means drastic cuts in the use of oil, coal and gas. Getting agreement on how that should be achieved among 192 nations seems impossible. Tom seeks to find out how to interpret the codes of official statements and off-the-record briefings. He also hears from some of the people who will have to live with the consequences and ask how their voices are working their way into the Copenhagen process. These include the President of the Maldives, who warns that his fight against the encroaching seas is our fight too. Children in Sri Lanka who have been exchanging experiences with English counterparts by the sea in Essex, and a group of children working under the banner Generation Green struggle to produce an action plan for Downing Street. And in case anyone thinks the Jeremy Clarkson worldview has withered in the face of this upsurge of youthful greenery, Tom joins a group of boy and girl racers in Cheltenham for a petrol-fuelled conversation about living now and paying later.