Major Economies Forum

Letter from Europe

London gathering gives boost to climate talks 2
Posted 1 month ago Rich and poor countries resolved some differences over a new climate treaty this past weekend in London at the latest meeting of the Major Economies Forum.
A New International Report on the Prospects for a Global Deal on Clean Technology Transfer

Governments need to lead the breakthrough on technology 6
Posted 4 months, 2 weeks ago By Andrew Light, John Podesta
The Obama administration once again convened a Major Economies Forum in Italy this week after the G-8 meeting, which included the world’s 17 major carbon emitters, to press forward on a global deal on climate change and the transformation to a clean-energy economy. One of the most important announcements to come out of this meeting is the formation of a formal “Global Partnership” on “low-carbon, climate-friendly technologies.” This program aims to double the current commitments on technology assistance by 2015 and sets a deadline for mapping actions for achieving a range of important goals on this cluster of issues by November 15, 2009.
Copin' with Copenhagen

What is Obama’s international climate strategy? 9
Posted 4 months, 3 weeks ago
International climate negotiations often seem like some sort of cosmic science fair project -- an aquarium full of hamsters connected to rudimentary motors. There's a lot of frantic running, a lot of sweat and heat, but in the end, very little light.

Faith in the UN climate process has dimmed. Joe Romm calls it a "dead man walking." The Copenhagen talks in December are generally discussed with the same dissonant mixture of urgency ("You have to do it in Copenhagen," says UNFCCC chair Yvo de Boer) and fatalism ("There is no movement," says German environment minister Sigmar Gabriel) as the last dozen rounds of international talks.

The Obama administration knows the danger of sclerosis and is working on several fronts to regain a sense of momentum.
Dispatch from the Major Economies Forum

What will the U.S. and other major economies commit to? 0
Posted 5 months, 1 week ago
I am outside of Mexico City with delegates from the world's 17 biggest economies who are meeting this week ahead of the next G8 meeting to further negotiate international climate agreements. Issues on the table include funding for forest protection, mid-term and long-term emission reduction targets, and financing for adaption and mitigation. The outcomes from these talks remain in doubt and other questions fester, like to what will the U.S. commit to?