UNFCCC Negotiations – Can it Bridge the Political Chasms?

What are the key challenges that will be faced in the negotiating process at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties next month.

Last Thursday the second in a series of Climate Policy seminars was held at the Grantham Institute. The seminar looked at the key challenges that will be faced in the negotiating process in the run up to the next UNFCCC Conference of the Parties, which will take place in Doha next month. The seminar examined what the process is likely to mean for different stakeholders – policy makers, businesses, NGOs, etc – and some key challenges over the next 3 years. The seminar was well attended by representatives from academia, government, business and NGOs, and the high level of audience participation generated some very interesting discussions.

Axel Michaelowa, head of research for the International Climate Policy group at the University of Zurich spoke about ‘National positions in international climate negotiations: some implications for policy makers, NGOs and climate mitigation business’. The slides from his presentation can be downloaded here.

Farhana Yamin, Special Adviser to Connie Hedegaard, EU Commissioner for Climate Action, on issues relating to the international negotiations, discussed the ‘UNFCCC and legal views to the international climate negotiations’.

Michael Grubb, Senior Research Associate at the Faculty of Economics at the University of Cambridge and Editor in Chief of Climate Policy, looked at ‘Beyond burden sharing’.

The seminar was linked to a special issue of Climate Policy recently published which covers Negotiating Climate Change, including articles about determinants of bargaining success, India as an emerging power and AOSIS in the UNFCCC negotiations.

The next seminar in the series will be held in spring 2013.