World leaders have descended on Copenhagen, Denmark for the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) from Dec. 7-18, 2009.  The overall goal for COP15 is to establish an ambitious global climate agreement, focused on curbing greenhouse-gas emissions and reducing the rate of global warming, to replace the Kyoto Protocol agreement beginning in 2012.  

 

Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), recently shared the fundamental items calling for an international agreement in Copenhagen:
 
1. How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases?
2. How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions?
 3. How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed?
 4. How is that money going to be managed?
 
The hope is COP15 will produce a political agreement, to be transformed into a treaty as soon as possible after the conference.
 
Larry Greene, Air Pollution Control Officer for the Sacramento Metro Air Quality Management District, is attending the COP15 Conference as the co-president of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA).  "We want to highlight the many successful strategies thus far executed by states, local agencies and communities and ensure that our members are not preempted by federal actions or agreements from being the important player they must be to meet 2020 and especially 2050 targets," said Larry.  "My reading of the very strong scientific basis for climate action is that we owe our world and future generations a good start toward bending the climate curve downward."

For more information please visit the COP15 homepage. 
 
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