About

Dateline: Copenhagen

Where the Future Will Be Written

The year 2009 is pivotal for the future of Earth’s climate. Scientists warn that the window of opportunity to reverse the rise in greenhouse gas emissions and avoid catastrophic climate change is closing rapidly. All eyes are now on negotiations for the next major climate agreement, set to be finalized at the COP-15 (the Fifteenth Session of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention) in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

With developing countries already facing the adverse effects of climate change, their contribution to climate negotiations is more important than ever. Dateline: Copenhagen is a resource for policymakers, nongovernmental organizations, businesspeople, journalists, educators, and students to expand their knowledge of the developing world’s stake in the conference.  Visitors may also use the site’s content in helping their home communities better understand climate change and the UNFCCC negotiation process. The site will provide a unique perspective on the timely topics facing climate negotiators, including financing for mitigation and adaptation, possibilities for technology transfer, and the role of forestry and agriculture regulation in a carbon-capped world.

What is Copenhagen?

The Copenhagen meeting is the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP15) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). (The UNFCC, agreed to in 1992 at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, established the framework under which climate agreements are negotiated.)  The UNFCC process produced the Kyoto Protocol in 1997. During the Copenhagen conference, which is to be held in December 2009, government officials from 192 countries will meet to negotiate a new climate agreement for the post-2012 period.

Countdown to Copenhagen: Worldwatch on the Ground, in Print, and Online

In January 2009, the Institute released State of the World 2009: Into a Warming World, a compendium of the coming century of climate change and the science and policies that will determine our future. Nearly 50 authors from developing and industrialized countries contributed to this unprecedented report, which seeks to inject new inspiration and energy into national and international climate negotiations.

Senior Researcher and State of the World 2009 Project Co-Director Janet Sawin is a Lead Author of the IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energy and Climate Change Mitigation, to be released in December 2010. In addition, she is working with IPCC colleagues to produce a report on the potential of renewable energy and energy efficiency to mitigate climate change.*

China Fellow Yingling Liu will contribute an annotated version of a report on renewable energy and energy efficiency in China, along with a reference guide on climate and energy policies in China. Worldwatch will also hold a series of outreach events in China, Europe, and the United States before and after the Copenhagen conference to advance developing-country perspectives on climate issues.*

* These projects are supported in part by the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).

Project Staff

Dateline: Copenhagen is a project of the Worldwatch Institute’s Climate and Energy Program, led by Chris Flavin and Janet Sawin.  Look to this blog for posts from Worldwatch staff and contributors on the most critical developments leading up to Copenhagen.