From November 30 to December 11, 2015, representatives from more than 190 states and countless civil society organizations meet in Paris for the 21st Conference of the Parties to the UN Climate Change Convention. After more than 20 years of climate negotiations, did the Paris meeting succeed in delivering a universal agreement to keep global warming in check? This expert roundtable hosted jointly by the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the Munk School of Global Affairs assesses the Paris outcome and the future of the global climate regime.
Participants:
Moderator: Brian Stewart, Munk School of Global Affairs
Jutta Brunnée (Faculty of Law): Is the Paris outcome a legally binding agreement, and does it matter? What should we make of states’ ‘nationally determined contributions’ to reducing greenhouse gas emissions? Read Prof. Brunnée’s commentary in the Globe and Mail: “Let Paris be the moment we confronted two global threats”
Steven Bernstein (Department of Political Science): What were the negotiation dynamics between developed and developing countries, and how did ‘South/North’ issues manifest themselves in the Paris outcome?
Matthew Hoffmann (Department of Political Science): Transnational vs. multilateral: How to navigate ‘main events’ (inter-state negotiations) and ‘side-events’ (various stakeholders and experts) at the Paris summit?
Keith Stewart (Greenpeace Canada, and instructor, School for the Environment): Experts, nudges, watchdogs? What roles do civil society groups play in global climate negotiations and governance?
Silvia Maciunas (Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development): What comes next (e.g. implementation; accountability; ratcheting up commitments)?
This event is free, but registration via our event page is required.
