Bali, Poznan, Copenhagen - Triple Jump Towards a new Quality of Climate Policy?

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Brief Summary

In this paper Germanwatch summarises the recent and current journey of international climate politics. It began with the failed climate conference in Nairobi in 2006, started a new process in Bali 2007, will stop over in Poznan (December 2008) and shall lead to a new climate treaty in Copenhagen 2009. As a starting point for orientation the paper discusses different policy scenarios in a warming world. Based on the scenario "Global Climate Partnership" Germanwatch had expressed its expectations for the UN climate summit in Bali and the negotiation process that should result in an international UN climate treaty by 2009. Using these expectations as criteria, Germanwatch now comments on the central results of the Bali summit.

Important and decisive steps have been taken in Bali. They give reason to believe that a new global agreement on climate protection for the time after 2012, i.e. following the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol's first commitment period, will come into effect. However, there are still significant hurdles to overcome until we get a really meaningful treaty. Hurdles exist in each of the four main negotiation tracks: mitigation, adaptation, financing and technology. Policy makers in industrialised countries and emerging economies as well as in small island states and least developed countries, industry and financial markets, non-governmental organisations, consumers and voters - they all have to play their part in achieving the necessary turnaround in global climate change within the next decade.
 

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