Norway will on December the 7th, together with 191 other countries, agree upon a frame work for climate change beyond 2012, according to the Bali roadmap. The conference is preceded by the "Climate Change: Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions scientific conference" which took place in March 2009, and was also held in Copenhagen.
Developments in the world since the Kyoto Protocol was negotiated in 1997 show that a new agreement is needed. China has replaced the USA as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, and the price of oil has soared. This is a reminder of the fact that fossil fuels do not merely pollute; they are also a source of energy whose reserves are constantly being reduced.
The aim of Norway is to establish a long term goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, based on scientific advice. It is Norway´s view that the increase in global mean temperature has to be limited to a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial level in order to achieve the ultimate objective of the UN Convention on Climate Change of preventing dangerous climate change. Global emissions will have to be reduced by 50-85 % by 2050, most likely as much as 85%.
The UN Climate Change Conference 2009 will start the 7th of December and last until the 18th.
Sources: COP15
Will this fjord look the same in 10 years? (Photo credits: The Scandinavian Tourist Board)