Washington to host climate summit

The amount of pre-planning for an international summit is daunting, but with only eight months remaining until Cancun will host the COP16, international organisation and preparation are imperative to successful negotiations.

The United States plans to host the world’s major economies to begin to resolve outstanding issues and etch out policy.  Along with the UN sponsored negotiations set to occur in Bonn, Germany 9-11 April, Major Economics Forum indicates that the pace of international climate discussions is on the rise.

The Major Economies Forum will take place Washington DC 18-19 April, and will consist of 17 countries accounting for nearly 80% of the planet’s CO2 emissions. The 17 countries include: Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, the European Union, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Denmark has also been invited due to its function of President of the Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC.  It will be only the second time these countries have met since Copenhagen.

No one is certain and many are sceptical that the world can agree on the globally legal treaty this year that Copenhagen sought to achieve last December.  However, the level of organisation for Cancun figures to be greater as climate change has risen to the top of nearly every country’s political agenda.

Outstanding issues that will be discussed in Bonn and Washington this month revolve around six major concerns climate change raises according to Todd Stern, the US’s leading climate negotiator: carbon mitigation, transparency of policy, how to finance mitigation projects domestically and internationally, develop new technology, preserve and expand forests, and finally how to assist countries that will be forced to adapt to climate change.  The major economies will have to reach an agreement on the proper way to curb pollution in developing nations and assist third world countries.

At the very least, these countries hope to keep global warming under 2 degrees Celsius by 2020, although the UN declared that 2 degrees may not be ambitious enough of a target.

Author: Michael Good | Climate Action

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