Key Documents:
Conference of the Parties 15 (COP 15)
From the 7th til the 18th of december 2009, Copenhagen will host the United Nations Conference on Climate Change. At this event the reneval of the Kyoto Agreement, ending in 2012, is the main object. The expectations for this meeting have been great and there is hope that an binding agreement would be made for the post—Kyoto protocol period. Despite enormous efforts made for an ambitious and succesful outcome, doubt is voiced. Particularly the participation of the United States may not be as profound as hoped. It was very recently announced that the american president, Barack Obama will attend the conference, which may Particularly on the agreement of CO2 emissions, the large cournties, USA, China and India will be important but also the European nations have great responsibility. The European Union countries will also have significant impact on the agreement and it is hoped that as broad a consensus will be made. The developing world is looking with increasingly keen interest to the potential outcome, as the effect of climate change has had and will still have a major impact particularly on the countries
History:
The first UN conference to adress the environment was held in 1992 in Rio de Janairo, Brasil. At this conference, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development UNCED, although often referred to as the Earth Summit, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) was established with the parallel Intergovernmental panel of Climate Change (IPCC). The aim for these bodies was to promote a global effort to stabilize the greenhouse gas concentration in the atmosphere and thus to prevent anthropogenic interference. The COP protocols have been signified by the 1997 meeting in Kyoto, Japan, where a significant number of the industrialized member nations agreed upon a legally binding document to reduce the greenhouse gass emission to 6-8% below the 1990 level between 2008 and 2012. despite the overall consensus particularly the USA has been apprehensive to sign the agreement. Ever since 1992 annual conferences have been held to adjust the protocol according to the current situation and maintain the pressure upon the member countries to uphold their responsibility.
Relevant Activites:
14/12/2009
SOLUTIONS TO THE CHALLENGES – AFTER COP 15
- how to adapt to the future from a water / environmental / health perspective
14/12/2009
SEMINAR ON CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION (HOERSHOLM - DK)
COWI and DHI invites to "Seminar on climate change adaptation". The seminar will provide an opportunity to meet key experts, attend the presentations and participate in the discussions.
15/12/2009
The Ecologic Institute Berlin (www.ecologic.eu) will host an international dialogue on regional adaptation actions for coastal areas on the 15th of December, 2009 as a complementary event to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. The aim is to contribute to an intensified exchange of good practice between different coastal regions of the world.