CC9

Climate Conference 09

The objective of CC9 is to contribute to the conclusion of a fair climate agreement by advancing the potential of green technology and adequate funding. Investing in the development and diffusion of green technologies and renewable energy is a sustainable way to stimulate the economy and create new jobs - sustainable economic growth that can reinforce efforts to combat climate change while respecting development needs.

Prestigious names to the conference

His Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Haakon of Norway will open the Conference.

Among those who will be speaking at CC9 is Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has made a name for himself as a clear-headed and dynamic advocate for the environment. Kennedy founded and now chairs the Waterkeeper Alliance, an organization working to improve water quality in the US and elsewhere in the world. In his work as a lawyer, Kennedy handles cases for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), one of the largest environmental organizations in the US. The NRDC is known as a solution-oriented and competent player in the environmental field. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is the first member of the Kennedy family to visit Norway.

In addition to Mr. Kennedy, many other prestigious names will be participating at CC9, including Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, Norwegian Minister of the Environment and International Development Erik Solheim and Stephen O. Andersen, director of Strategic Climate Projects in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Stephen O. Andersen is a senior, renowned environmental expert, working for the EPA, the closest equivalent the USA has to a Ministry of the Environment. Mr. Andersen has been a key player in the work on the Montreal Protocol, an exceptionally successful international environmental treaty that negotiated the elimination of ozone-depleting gases and effectively saved the ozone layer. Andersen is the EPA's director of strategic projects, in the Climate Protection Partnerships Division.

Also from the USA comes Ira Magaziner, head of the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI). The CCI forms part of the William J. Clinton Foundation (founded by former US president Bill Clinton). The foundation's work includes efforts to cut the costs of climate technology (for renewable energy and energy efficiency) in large cities.

Representing the African continent are the former president of Tanzania, Benjamin Mkapa, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Niger Aïchatou Mindaoudou. Mindaoudou is a well-known figure in the field of international development, and she will be giving a speech at CC9 entitled "What is at stake for women and the planet - climate change and sustainable development in Africa. Business models for poverty alleviation and green growth".

A number of participants from Asia and Europe will also be present at the climate conference.

Climate Conference 08

Starting out on World Environment Day, the conference gathered 100 exclusively selected international representatives from politics, academia, the private sector and the environmental movement at the Hafslund Manor in Sarpsborg south of Oslo.

Among the distinguished speakers were: Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile, UN Special Envoy on climate change and president of the Club of Madrid; Lord Nicholas Stern, author of the notable report on the economic ramifications of climate change; Göran Persson, former Prime Minister of Sweden who, together with Ricardo Lagos, co-chairs the International Socialist Commission for a Sustainable World Society Also attending from the Club of Madrid was Jennifer Mary Shipley, former Prime Minister of New Zealand, Kjell Magne Bondevik and Gro Harlem Brundtland, both former Prime Ministers of Norway. The Club of Madrid, the Bellona Foundation and Hafslund ASA set out to organize an ambitious, pro-development, creative and solutions-oriented conference which could act in a joint effort to provide input for the international negotiation process on a new climate agreement.

Negotiations for a post-2012 global climate change agreement were formally launched at the climate summit in Bali last December and are expected to be concluded in Copenhagen in 2009. With this process underway, the Club of Madrid, the Bellona Foundation and Hafslund ASA joined forces to spur ideas for a final agreement that will be both ambitious and realistic, as well as providing predictability in efforts to combat climate change.

Thorough discussions in small working groups enabled the drafting of ambitious, creative and solutions-oriented recommendations in a final statement from the conference. In order to inform the post-2012 negotiations, the aim will be to reach out to both negotiators and policy makers and industry and the business community.

At the Bali summit, it was agreed to concentrate the negotiations on mitigation, adaptation, technology and finance. The CC8 conference «Technology and Finance in Climate Cooperation» focuses specifically on what technology and finance provisions a new agreement on climate change should include.

The co-organizers are convinced that successful outcomes in these fields will be essential to enable ambitious overall emission reduction targets (the overall objective of an agreement) and solve the contradiction between, on the one hand, rich countries’ responsibility for climate change and, on the other hand, the necessity to limit emissions also of emerging economies.

Climate Concert

Saturday 7 June the marathon "Climate Concert 08" was arranged in the park surrounding the Hafslund Manor in Sarpsborg. Well-known Norwegian bands were on stage. The environmental issues from the Climate Conference 08 coloured all parts of the arrangement; the food served, transportation and power supply.

The artists performing on Climate Conference 08, were Bertine Zetlitz, Surferosa, deLillos'85, Henning Kvitnes, Kaizers Orchestra, Madcon, CC Cowboys and Ida Maria.

Background

Against the backdrop of an unprecedented global economic crisis, the next months will be decisive for reaching a politically viable and fair post-2012 climate agreement in Copenhagen 2009.

Few players inside negotiation circles expect developing countries to make significant moves before developed countries have clarified their positions on emission reductions, financing and diffusion of green technology.

Copenhagen must deliver on the human dimension of climate change. It is clear that the poorest, those least responsible, will be most vulnerable to climate change. Countries that have accumulated tremendous economic growth through their historic reliance on fossil fuels must assume a leadership role in cutting greenhouse gas emissions. Likewise, it will be critical to secure the development and diffusion of appropriate, clean technology and the access to necessary financial resources for developing countries to adopt them.

The global crisis constitutes a tremendous opportunity for governments to address the weaknesses of the existing, international financial system but, more importantly, to lay the foundations for the development of a green and sustainable economy. Investing in clean technologies can be key to this process, creating employment opportunities across the globe while addressing the challenge of climate change. In this sense, the adoption of sectoral approaches within the negotiations could, in fact, facilitate technology development and the adoption of best available technologies across regions, between developed and developing countries.