The U N Framework Convention On Climate Change Activities Implemented Jointly Aij Pilot

The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ) Pilot: Experiences and Lessons Learned

Jose Maria Figueres Olsen Former President Republic of Costa Rica The heated debate about global climate change continues. Some say it is the gravest calamity our species has ever encountered. Others deny its existence altogether. As with most caseS of human decision making, the truth is most likely somewhere in the middle. The challenge of this particular set of decisions is the overwhelming sense of uncertainty. Science cannot fully attribute the climatic catastrophes occurring before our eyes to increasing levels of greenhouse gas concentrations. Neither can Science prove that extreme events and warming trends are unrelated to human behavior. Economic models, sophisticated as they are, cannot agree on the costs of reducing carbon dioxide (C~) emissions in industrialized countries. International negotiations are thus mired in the morass of scientific and economic uncertainty. The are only two elements of certainty in the whole debate. The frrst is the need for precaution. The potential impacts are such, that the risk of inaction is unaffordable to the human race. Under the current state of knowledge, mankind must take cautious but unequivocal steps to reverse current patterns.

The U. N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Activities Implemented Jointly (Aij) Pilot

Climate Change Policy

Questions surrounding the issue of climate change are evolving from "Is it happening?" to "What can be done about it?" The primary obstacles to addressing it at this point are not scientific but political and economic; nonetheless a quick resolution is unlikely. Ignorance and confusion surrounding the issue -- including a lack of understanding of climate science, its implications for the environment and society, and the range of policy options available -- contributes to the political morass over dealing with climate change in which we find ourselves. Climate Change Policy addresses that situation by bringing together a wide range of new writings from leading experts that examine the many dimensions of the topics most important in understanding climate change and policies to combat it. Chapters consider: climate science in historical perspective analysis of uncertainties in climate science and policy the economics of climate policy North-South and intergenerational equity issues the role of business and industry in climate solutions policy mechanisms including joint implementation, emissions trading, and the so-called clean development mechanism Regardless of the fate of the Kyoto Protocol, the issues raised in that debate will persist as new climate protection regimes emerge; this volume treats most of those topics. Tying the chapters together is a shared conclusion that climate change is a real and serious problem, and that we as a society have an obligation not merely to adapt to it but to mitigate it in whatever intelligent ways we can develop. Cost-effectiveness is not disdained, but neither is the imperative for valuing species threatened by rapid climate change.