As the world continues to experience the impacts of climate change, there is a growing call for international consensus on specific actions to keep temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius. There is overwhelming scientific agreement that greenhouse gas emissions are the cause of climate change, and in recent years, many prominent faith communities have voiced the need to protect the world's most vulnerable populations – who coincidentally have contributing least to climate change but will bear the brunt of its impacts. Through past negotiations, countries have agreed that greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced, but a consensus on what actions should be taken has yet to be reached after 20 years. This event will explore international law and the political complexities of the negotiations. In addition, the panelists will comment on the role of science and religion in bringing about actions.
Agenda:
4:30 PM Overview of International Law and COP21 (Cinnamon Carlarne)
5:05 PM Comments from Panelists
Cinnamon Carlarne, Moritz College of Law
Dr. Greg Hitzhusen, School of Environment and Natural Resources
Dr. Bryan Mark, Department of Geography
Dr. Alex Thompson, Department of Poltitical Science
5:20 PM Additional Discussion and Questions from the Audience
What is COP21?
The Conference of Parties (COP) is an annual convention where delegates from governments, intergovernmental organizations, UN agencies, NGOs, and civil society engage in climate discussions. One of the main objectives of COP is to review the implementation of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change. Previous COP conventions have resulted in significant international agreements related to climate change action, such as the Kyoto Protocol, Montreal Action Plan, and the Green Climate Fund. This year's conference, the 2015 Paris Climate Conference or COP21, aims to achieve a universal agreement on specific actions to keep global temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius.
