- December 18, 2008
- Posted by: EARSC
- Category: EARSC News
The main objective of the 2008 UN Climate Change Conference, which ended on the 13 December in Poznań (Poland), was to reach or at least to move forward to a new international climate change agreement. The current Kyoto deal will expire in 2012, therefore discussions to find a post-Kyoto deal started in December 2007 in Bali to finally end at the latest in December 2009 in Copenhagen (Denmark). In the meantime, the next major UN Climate Change Conference will take place from 29 March to 8 April 2009 in Bonn (Germany). The deadline for the ratification of the new climate change deal is scheduled for the end of 2012.
The participants at the 12-day negotiations in Poland did not reach, however, a new climate change agreement given that important issues such as the need to set long-term goals for reducing emissions and avoiding dangerous climate change impacts, as well as the introduction of a technology-transfer mechanism to allow developing countries to move towards low-carbon were not solved.
Nevertheless, delegates at Poznań have produced a text, accompanied by a detailed work programme providing the basis for further negotiations to prepare a global deal during the December 2009 conference in Copenhagen.
The Poznan conference is also marked by progress on technical elements such as the method to evaluate deforestation. The creation of a fund to help most vulnerable countries to cope with the impact of global warming was also agreed upon.
With regard to the incoming US administration, a confirmation for a clear commitment to actively contribute to tackle climate change, both at national and international levels has been an encouraging input in Poznań.
At the same time, the EU is negotiating the ‘climate change and energy package’ launched by the Commission on 10 January 2007.
Few days after the climate talks in Poznań, MEPs had to vote on this ‘climate change and energy package’ in plenary session in Strasbourg.
More information at:
http://unfccc.int/2860.php
http://www.euractiv.com/en/climate-change/poznan-climate-talks-leave-heavy-lifting-2009/article-178051
http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/public/story_page/064-43926-343-12-50-911-20081204STO43823-2008-08-12-2008/default_en.htm
http://www.gmes.info/newsdetail+M5bad1cdda8d.0.html
http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/08/1543&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en
http://www.euractiv.com/en/climate-change/un-climate-talks-little-progress/article-177901
