#Yvo de Boer

We are six months out from Copenhagen and further talks in Bonn, where the UNFCCC is headquartered, have just concluded.  The release from the UNFCCC says the recent talks made “progress on fleshing out specifics” for a global climate change regime.  There were 5,500 participants, including government delegates from over 180 countries, and reps from […]

This is the document that has taken many years and much blood, sweat, tears and toil from thousands of people to produce.  Yvo de Boer, head of the UNFCCC, described the accord as “politically important.” It provides an “architecture for a response to climate change.” The “LA Times” had this story this morning:  Climate summit ends […]

“I would say hold tight and mind the doors–the cable car is moving again,” said Yvo de Boer earlier today.  The “WSJ” reports here that de Boer is encouraged.  “Forbes” has some other notable quotes from today, among them Hillary Clinton’s commitment to help raise $100 billion in annual funding for adaptation and mitigation in […]

I read a really good book by Steve Schlesinger a few years back called Act of Creation.  It’s about the San Francisco conference at which the United Nations was born.  There was a lot of intrigue and high drama, with plenty at stake.  There are stories of heroes, too, like Edward Stettinius, the unsung Secretary […]

There are all sorts of prognoses for what’s going to happen in a couple of weeks at the 15th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP15).  Some are calling this the most important international meeting of minds since the Bretton Woods and San Francisco conferences created much of the political architecture for the postwar […]

I wrote a thumbnail sketch the other day of where we are in the US on domestic climate change and energy legislation.  Let’s now take a quick look at how things are shaping up only 37 days before Copenhagen. As you know, the world has been building toward the 15th Conference of the Parties (COP […]

Here’s a succinct and hopeful message from UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer on where we are on the international politics.  We will know more this week after the UN Climate Summit and the G20 meetings.

As you no doubt know, the latest round of UNFCCC negotiations concluded in Bonn last week.  UNFCCC Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer seemed generally pleased.  The representatives had, for the first time, a negotiating text with which to work.  It was delivered on schedule and that in itself was a significant achievement.  The AP reported […]

After China and the US, which together contribute 40% of the world’s burden of anthropogenic greenhouse gases, you come to Indonesia and Brazil.  Why?  In a word, deforestation.  Japan, because of its industrial emissions, comes in 8th overall.  So when there’s news on the intentions of these major economies on reducing their GHG, we should […]

There are a series of UNFCCC meetings this year leading up to the Copenhagen Conference of the Parties – the 15th COP.  As you know, Copenhagen is where the post-Kyoto agreement is going to be finalized.  The first of the five planned negotiating sessions leading up to the COP wrapped up in Bonn last week.  […]