| High level forum to achieve consensus and promote action
The Global Roundtable on Climate Change
The Global Roundtable on Climate Change brings together highlevel,
critical stakeholders from all regions of the world – including
senior executives from the private sector and leaders of
international governmental and nongovernmental organisations
(NGOs) – to discuss and explore areas of potential consensus
regarding core scientific, technological, and economic issues critical
to shaping sound public policies on climate change.
At its meetings, which began in 2005 and will continue through 2009,
the Roundtable engages in detailed, science-based, nonconfrontational
discussion and analysis in order to work through
difficult problems and explore potential areas of consensus. One
example of consensus that has arisen out of these dialogues is The
Path to Climate Sustainability: A Joint Statement by the Global
Roundtable on Climate Change.
| FIVE OVER-ARCHING OBJECTIVES |
1. To explore the potential for developing an improved global
consensus on core scientific, technological, economic and policy
issues related to climate change;
2. To explore technological and policy options for mitigating
climate change while meeting global energy needs;
3. To champion demonstration projects that test and scale
sustainable energy technologies and other activities and policies
that address climate change;
4. To provide a unique forum for discussion, analysis and exchange
of ideas among businesses from all economic sectors and all parts
of the world, international institutions, NGOs, and leading
academic experts; and,
5. To help catalyse new initiatives and interactions among
Roundtable participants that address climate change mitigation
and adaptation. |
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Call for action on targets
The Statement calls for a bold, science-based framework for a post-
2012 global climate agreement that recognises the urgent need to
mitigate the risks and impacts of climate change while also meeting
the need for sustainable development around the world. The
framework calls on governments to set strong, scientifically informed
short and long-term targets for global greenhouse gas
concentrations; to take immediate action in pursuit of those targets;
to develop mechanisms that place a price on carbon emissions that is
reasonably consistent internationally and across sectors; to establish
policy initiatives to address energy efficiency and de-carbonisation in
all sectors of the economy; to develop and deploy low-emitting and
zero-emitting energy and transportation technologies; and to provide
incentives to reduce emissions from deforestation and harmful land
management practices. Individuals can also take a step towards
combating climate change by adding their name to the Roundtable’s
call for global action at www.NextGenerationEarth.org.
The Roundtable also believes that effective public and private
support for demonstration projects can play a valuable role in
expanding efforts to develop and deploy existing and new methods
to produce energy and mitigate carbon emissions. To these ends,
participants in the Roundtable are currently working on a number of
individual projects that enjoy the general endorsement of the
Roundtable. These projects include geologic sequestration of carbon
in basalt deposits, creating a Global Carbon Sequestration Task Force;
testing solar-powered LED lighting solutions for rural villages in the
developing world; and developing policy analyses of the technology
choices for climate stabilisation.
The Roundtable is made possible by a generous grant from the
Lenfest Foundation.
| Climate Resources at Columbia University |
In addition to hosting the Global Roundtable, Columbia University
is also home to a number of world-renowned research and
educational centres.
The Earth Institute brings together talent from throughout
the University to address complex issues facing the planet and its
inhabitants, with particular focus on sustainable development and
the needs of the world’s poor. www.earth.columbia.edu
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory is a leading research
institution where more than 200 research scientists seek
fundamental knowledge about the origin, evolution, and future of
the natural world. www.ldeo.columbia.edu
NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies is a climate
research centre that models and monitors Earth systems, using
state-of-the-art equipment to predict atmospheric and climate
changes in the twenty-first century. www.giss.nasa.gov
International Research Institute for Climate and
Society uses a science-based approach to enhance society’s
ability to understand, anticipate, and manage climate risk in order
to
http://iri.ldeo.columbia.edu
Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy works to develop
technical and policy solutions to meet the world’s future energy
needs without destabilising the Earth’s natural systems.
www.energy.columbia.edu
Master of Arts Program in Climate and Society is a
twelve-month programme that trains professionals and academics
to understand and cope with the impacts of climate variability and
climate change on society and the environment.
www.columbia.edu/cu/climatesociety/program.html |
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