Copenhagen climate conference’s giant globe: A sign of things to come?

globe-2 An enormous white globe dangled in Copenhagen’s Bella Centre, the location of the world’s largest ever leaders’ summit on climate change, could be an unintended yet chilling sign of things to come.

An observant attendee made it clear by scribbling on the giant model of the earth that its designers forgot to paint on small, low-lying Pacific island nations like Tuvalu and the Cook Islands.

Scientists say rising global temperatures are melting the world’s polar icecaps and this will lead to higher sea levels by the end of the century. The Association of Small Island States (AOSIS) is pressing rich countries, mostly responsible for higher atmospheric levels of climate-warming carbon dioxide, for financial aid in mitigating and adapting to global warming.
globe-tuvalu

Antarctica was also missing from the colossal sphere, indicating that it was probably a simple oversight since the southern continent is not expected to be completely submerged by rising oceans.

Still, as island nations pleaded for major economies like China and the United States to agree a new climate agreement over the 12-day talks, was this an embarrassing mistake on the part of the organisers?