UN Climate Change Initiatives Post Toronto

As part of the Millennium Development Goals, Ban Ki-moon, the UN’s secretary general, urged leaders of the G20 to increase their investments in clean energy and the green economy.

"The risks -- and costs -- of inaction on climate change grow each year. The more we delay, the more we will pay," he told leaders at the recent G20 Summit in Toronto.

Korea’s newly established global think tank on green growth strategies will play a key role in the launch of a U.N. high-level panel on global sustainability. The Global Green Growth Institute will operate in liaison with the global climate change summit in Rio De Janeiro scheduled for 2012.

The U.N. has also launched a high-level panel on climate change and will operate an advocacy group for the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goals.

Leaders of the world's largest economies will meet again at the next G20 meeting, which is scheduled for November in South Korea.

The United Nations Climate Change Conference or COP 16 will be held in Cancún, Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December 2010.
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G20 Must Cooperate for a Sustainable Recovery

The cooperation of G20 member states is the key to a sustainable recovery. Although the global financial crisis revealed the interconnectedness of the modern economy, it also underscored the importance of cooperation.

The Toronto G20 meeting was billed as a final checkup to ensure agreements reached in Pittsburgh would be finalized at a November gathering in Korea, where leaders would then plan for a post-crisis world.

"Our highest priority in Toronto must be to safeguard and strengthen the recovery," President Barack Obama wrote in a letter to his G20 colleagues. "We worked exceptionally hard to restore growth; we cannot let it falter or lose strength now."

"This crisis proved, and events continue to affirm, that our national economies are inextricably linked," Obama said. "And just as economic turmoil in one place can quickly spread to another, safeguards in each of our nations can help protect all nations."

In 2009, despite disagreements between wealthier and developing nations, the financial and climate change crises spurred unprecedented levels of global cooperation.

In 2010, although we are in recovery, a slowdown has been signaled by the Economic Cycle Research Institute's weekly leading index.

Issues that threaten the recovery include Europe's debt difficulites, slow US job growth, and an unstable US housing market. With interest rates near zero, the most powerful policy tool remaining is resuming asset purchases, but printing money will cause inflation.

Economic uncertainty is highlighting disagreements between the United States, Europe and China.

Jose Vinals, director of the IMF's monetary and capital markets department, said G20 unity was one of the biggest positive economic developments in recent years, but disunity would damage the recovery. "It's fundamental that you keep your house in order, but it's also fundamental that when the going gets rough, you cooperate," he said at a conference in Washington.
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Program and Plans for G8 and G20 Summits in Canada

The G8 Huntsville Summit Plans

Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville
Muskoka, Canada.

Friday, June 25 2010

Besides factors affecting the health of women and children in poor countries, the G8 was scheduled to discuss a new legal framework for a UN led deal to combat climate change. G8 members were also expected to discuss a post-2012 agreement that includes a robust system of emissions reductions monitoring and reporting.

Although limiting the rise in temperatures to below 2°C (3.6°F) above pre-industrial times was part of earlier drafts, the G8's "Muskoka Accountability Report" doesn't even mention progress towards limiting warming.

The G20 Toronto Summit Program

Metro Toronto Convention Centre,
Toronto, Canada

Saturday, June 26 2010

G20 leaders arrive at the Toronto Airport Infield Terminal at the Lester B. Pearson Airport in Toronto. Over the course of the two day summit, global economic leaders are expected to discuss the recovery, finanical reforms, European instability, Chinese currency initiatives, free trade and the reduction of global imbalances. While sustainable growth is a dominant theme, details on managing climate change may not get the attention they deserve.

18:30 Official welcome and reception of G20 leaders and spouses by Stephen Harper, prime minister of Canada, and Laureen Harper, at the Royal York Hotel.

Sunday, June 27 2010

09:00 Opening plenary session.

12:30 Family photograph.

17:00 Chair's press conference.
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UN Chief Asks G20 to Focus on a Sustainable Recovery

Leaders of the group of 20 developing countries (G20) are scheduled to meet in Toronto, Canada, June 26-27, to discuss the recovery of the world economy and the reform of the international financial system in the aftermath of the global crisis.

According to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, G20 leaders should focus on environment-friendly measures to promote global economic recovery.

In an open letter to the G20 leaders, Mr Ban said,“Based on our collective experience, the best way to enhance the framework for strong, sustainable and balanced economic growth is to put development front and centre, and to invest in a green economic recovery for all.”

“Now, more than ever, investments for the world’s poorest are necessary to recover lost ground in pursuit of development objectives, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),” Xinhua quoted Mr. Ban as saying.

The UN chief welcomed the G20’s intention to include development in its agenda during this week’s summit and at the Seoul Summit in November 2010. “Such an approach can help address food security and climate change, while ensuring job creation,” Mr. Ban said.

The UN is amongst a growing number of organizations that see the green economy as a means of consolidating the recovery, as Mr. Ban said, “Going forward, I encourage support for initiatives that will sustain recovery efforts while enhancing global economic stability, environmental sustainability and achievement of the MDGs.”

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