Events

The world of climate governance is in flux. A series of extreme weather events, from India to Australia, to the Philippines, continues to periodically ring alarm bells on climate change. The rolling release of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment report provides ever more sober calls for the need for action.

Yet, in most countries, and in global dialogue, levels of political attention to climate change are declining, crowded out by the financial crisis and other short term crises. At the same time, more countries than ever before – covering an estimated 67% of global emissions – have in place some form of national legislation or strategy to address climate change. There has also been a proliferation of informal local initiatives and transnational networks. What is the promise of this upsurge in efforts, what drives them, and what can we learn from cross country experiences?

The UNFCCC process is also building toward a 2015 agreement, perhaps the most significant such event since Copenhagen. What can we expect from the UNFCCC process? What transpired at the Warsaw COP? How will the UNFCCC process relate to the proliferation ofnational, subnational and transnational initiatives? The panel discussion will provide an opportunity to engage these and other, related questions. We look forward to a lively discussion and engagement from the broader community