Plenary 'The road to Copenhagen and beyond'

Concept note
Reflection document (by Science Po) Nr 1
Reflection document (by Science Po) Nr 2


The world’s climate is changing and will continue to change at rates unprecedented in human history. Science tells us that continued greenhouse gas emissions at or above current rates would cause further warming and induce many changes in the global climate system during the 21st century. The risks associated with these changes are real and are already happening in many countries and in many sectors essential for human livelihood, including water resources, agriculture, coastal zones and health.

Developing countries, in particular least developed countries and small island developing states, are most vulnerable to these risks. In most cases, the impacts of climate change superimpose on existing vulnerabilities. Climate change has therefore the potential to undo many achievements that have been made to date with regard to the Millennium Development Goals. In the most vulnerable communities, the impacts of climate change pose a direct threat to people’s very survival. The devastating effects of extreme weather events, temperature increases and rises in sea level are expected to worsen with consequences for all of us, particularly the poor. In this context, it is a common responsibility of the developed and developing world to strongly and proactively react to this challenge, according to the respective capabilities and differentiated responsibility of individual countries.

This is a crucial year in the international effort to address climate change, culminating in the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009, where a new, comprehensive and effective international response to climate change is expected to be agreed.

The main challenges for the ongoing international negotiations can be summarised as follows:

  • the setting of new and ambitious targets by developed countries to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in order to limit global warming and prevent its future consequences;
  • the perspective of developing countries, in particular the emerging ones, to bring the growth rate of greenhouse gas emissions below ‘business as usual’; and
  • the commitment on an adequate and efficient financial package to support the efforts of developing countries in implementing the agreement, in particular to increase the ability of the most vulnerable countries to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change and to promote low carbon development strategies.

The expected international agreement will have to be translated at national level. The challenge for developing countries will be to use climate change, including adaptation, as a driver to undertake activities with multiple benefits that can catalyse progress in achieving sustainable development goals. This is why climate change and development are so inextricably linked.