1 Introduction
1. The December 2007 UN Climate Change Conference
in Bali, Indonesia, was hailed as a defining moment in the global
response to climate change. It saw the agreement of a roadmap
for negotiations on the next Kyoto commitment period starting
in 2012. The roadmap recognised that all developed countries have
to make deep cuts in emissions and that more has to be done to
help developing countries adapt to climate change. However, the
roadmap lacked clear goals or timetables and there remain real
uncertainties about how the negotiations will progress.
2. We decided to examine the various challenges
and opportunities that lie ahead. We found that certain key issues
will have to be addressed in reaching an effective deal. These
include:
- the level of effort required
by Annex 1 countries;
- the degree of flexibility permissible in the
agreement;
- the provision of funds for adaptation, mitigation
and technology transfer to developing countries; and
- the need to get developing countries at different
stages of development to accept different responsibilities.
3. In addition we also found that it would be
important for the UK and EU to consolidate the role they play
as leaders in the negotiations.
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