UN Climate Change Conference starts today
Posted by DavidM in Climate change | 3 December 2007
Running from 3rd to 14th December the UN Climate Change Conference 2007 brings together over 180 countries plus various organisations.
The event is a key part of the ongoing debate about the world's response to climate change and as Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary states, it "needs to produce a breakthrough in the form of a roadmap for a future climate change" after 2012, when the first phase of the Kyoto protocol ends.
As far as the UN is concerned global warming and it's cause by man-made emissions is proven, the only question left is what we are going to do to stop and reverse the problem.
Greenpeace have published a briefing on what they believe needs to be agreed in Bali. It includes:
"Peak in global emission by 2015 and... more than a halving of global emissions by 2050 compared to 1990 levels; followed by developed countries emission reductions commitments, as a group, of at least 30% by 2020 (from 1990 levels) and virtually complete decarbonisation (greater than 85% reductions) by 2050."
It also demands more countries be involved in the emissions trading scheme, market mechanisms for "rapidly industrialising" countries, a Clean Technology Deployment Mechanism and deforestation reductions.
The UN hopes to agree the next protocol in 2009 so don't expect big annoucements on December 14th, but hopefully good progress can be made.
