The COP15 UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen - what some are calling the most important meeting in history - is in full swing.  We thought we'd take the opportunity to bring you up to date on some of the most insightful, interesting, and memorable news and commentary about the conference - and particularly, what the COP15 Climate Change Conference has to do with you and your home.

First off we'd like to point you toward OneClimate.Net, which features a live-stream of the event - about the closest you can come to the event without actually being there (think of it as participation minus the associated carbon emissions). 

Among the good news from the event is that all the global leaders of IT are in Copenhagen together, talking about the environment. The bad news: they're all on their laptops and handhelds spewing out CO2.  While we do believe in the power of technology to bring us toward a more sustainable society, this interview with Intel's Laura Wigle from Environmental Leader reminds us that information and communications technology does have an associated carbon footprint - bearing that in mind will keep us thinking about how we can reduce it.  (We would probably start with a BITS Smart Strip power strip).  GreenWise also has an interesting read on the ICT energy efficiency of nations involved in the conference.

Shea Gunther at Mother Nature Network has a good read on developed nations' responsibility to make good for past emissions.  While it's a contentious issue (one of the most contentious, in fact), we're still optimistic: a new draft of a potential climate pact was released today, and it appears to be lifting spirits at the conference, although at Greener Ideal they're talking about a "war on drafts," noting that the chief negotiator for 130 developing nations just recently walked out of a consultation meeting in anger.

The World Resources Institute released an interactive chart comparing the emission reduction pledges of the conference's Annex 1 participants.  It's a stunningly interesting tool that takes into account some of the most divisive issues surrounding a binding agreement: per capita vs. absolute reductions, what year to use as a baseline for reductions, and land-use and forestry policy. 

Meanwhile, the U.S.'s lead envoy appears to be hedging his bets, or so says an interesting piece in the New York Times about the good cop / bad cop roles Todd Stern seems to be taking on at once.

So it seems that the U.S. and Canada are both sending tough guys to the conference: the Toronto Star reports that Canada, always brilliant, is sending their most prominent TV Handy Man, Mike Holmes, as an adviser to the Canadian climate delegation -- which is smart, because he understands the enormous power of buildings to fight climate change.  As the Star puts it, "Climate-change negotiators here call it 'adaptation' through the use of 'technology.' Canada's best-known handyman calls it building a better house."

Above all, as a recent New York Times Green Inc. post points out, it's important to keep in mind the power of energy efficiency as a tool for fighting climate change.  And then there's humor - a good tool for just about anything... as demonstrated by this effort from Grist - live in Copenhagen:

Video: A Beacon in the Smog. Warning: Contains Humor.