Success in Paris?

We need to understand each other for success in Paris:

In November, the world’s leaders will meet in Paris to try and find a way to stop global warming – yet again. It is the 21st climate conference and SustainableEnergy will participate in the event with several of our African partners.

“The biggest barrier for a successful agreement is the lack of understanding between rich and poor countries”, says Gunnar Boye Olesen who is political coordinator in SustainableEnergy and head of secretariat in the global NGO-network INFORSE, “developed and developing countries need to find a way to cooperate for the common good and not get stuck in old prejudice”.

SustainableEnergy will try to influence the result by making presentations and engaging in debates and discussion with other NGOs and decision makers – especially the Danish delegation. The main focus will be on Low Carbon Development Strategies in developing countries that SustainableEnergy and partners in East and West Africa are currently working on. These strategies aim to reduce CO2-emissions whilst securing both social and economic development at the same time. Decision makers must be convinced that it can actually be done: “Our goal is to get a binding agreement where the countries, as a minimum, commit to the targets they themselves have put forward and where additional funds are committed to climate adaptation and mitigation in the poorest countries”, Gunnar explains.