Development and Climate Discussed at Pardee Center

A small working group of development and climate experts met at the Pardee Center to scope a potential agenda for action-research around making development a more central theme of forthcoming global climate change talks.

An ad-hoc group of development and climate experts met for a one-day brainstorming session on identifying key development-related themes that need to be injected into the policy discussions regarding the future shape of the global climate change regime. Around 10 experts, many of whom are active in global policy discussions on development and climate related issues, met at the Pardee Center to evaluate the policy opportunities that have emerged after the most recent climate negotiations, held in Bali, Indonesia, in December 2007. The meeting identified various priorities and opportunities for ringing about a greater and meaningful emphasis on development concerns within emerging global climate change policy, including through issues related to technology, lifestyle change, scenario building, governance, adaptation, economic accounting and modeling, negotiation models, etc.

Participants include Adil Najam from the Pardee Center, Dr. Tariq Banuri, Dr. Sivan Kartha and Dr. Charlie Heaps from the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Dr. Frank Ackerman from the Global Development and Environment (GDAE) Institute at Tufts Univeristy, Mieke van der Wansem from the Center for International Environment and Resource Policy (CIERP) at the Flecther School of Law and Diplomacy, Dr. Paul Raskin from the Tellus Institute[, Dr. Paul Baer from EcoEquity, Dr. Pablo Suarez from Oxfam USA, and Dr. Christine Loh from the Civic Exchange, Hong Kong. Others from the Wuppertal Institute (Germany), the International Institute for Environment and Development (United Kingdom), and Prof. Steve Rayner from the James Martin Institute, Oxford Univeristy (United Kingdom) joined over conference phone.