Agence France Presse reports that, “Representatives from the 17 nations (including Canada) responsible for 80 percent of the emissions thought responsible for global warming will meet in New York next week (September 20-21), a US envoy said Tuesday.”
“US special envoy for climate change Todd Stern said the New York meeting would provide a chance for ‘a candid dialogue among major developed and developing economies to make progress in meeting the climate change and clean energy challenge.’ The meeting will also ‘advance the exploration of concrete initiatives and joint ventures that increase the supply of clean energy while cutting greenhouse gas emissions,’ he said.”
It is presumed that Guy Saint-Jacques, Canada new chief negotiator and ambassador for climate change, will be in New York for this meeting. More on Mr. Saint-Jacques at http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4531.
AFP adds that, “Environment ministers from 45 countries are also scheduled to meet in Geneva in September at the invitation of the Swiss and Mexican governments. And negotiators from the 194 signatories to the United Nations Convention on Climate Change are to meet in Tianjin, China for a final preparatory round of talks (October 4-9).”
It is important to note that after the preparatory negotiations in Bonn, Germany (August 2-6), the “vast majority” of the proposals from the World People’s Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mothers Earth in Cochabamba this past April are now included in the official negotiating text and may be subject to discussions at these meetings in New York, Geneva, and Tianjin. The Council of Canadians supports these proposals. More on that at http://canadians.org/campaignblog/?p=4351.
The Council of Canadians will be on the ground at the Cancun COP 16 climate summit this coming November 29 to December 10. Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow, climate justice campaigner Andrea Harden-Donahue, Blue Planet Project organizer Anil Naidoo, Mexico City-based Blue Planet Project organizer Claudia Campero Arena, and I will be there. We are currently planning a series of workshops for the Dialogo Climatico, a book launch, a demonstration and participation in a major march, and much more. More details soon.
