Article : Foundations for a Sustainable future..

In 2012, delegates from around the world, including at least 20 heads of state, will converge in Rio di Janeiro to decide how the world responds to escalating climate change and stays sustainable over the next half century.


If successful, the meeting of 192 member countries of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will send a clear signal to business and
industry, governments and citizens around the world. Commitments made and
mechanisms agreed will signal that the future belongs to a low-carbon economy
and that tomorrow’s winners will be those that invest in clean energy solutions.
It will also set in motion swift support for the most vulnerable in adapting to a
warming world.

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE:
1. The Big Picture Agreement

The world sets a goal to keep global average temperature below 1.5–2 degrees Celsius in comparison with pre-industrial levels. this is in line with the best scientific guidance which warns that greater warming will spawn increasingly dangerous and unpredictable impacts. to limit temperature rise, countries also agree to reduce global emissions by at least 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
In order to meet this goal, a high-level declaration would contain a set of substantive agreements in the form of targets and timetables from developed countries and emission reduction actions by developing countries. Financial commitments from the former to support the latter in their mitigation and adaptation efforts between now and 2020 must also be included.

Developed countries as a group — including the United States, 27 European Union countries, Japan, Australia, Canada and Russia — would commit to reducing emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050. These countries would also commit to cutting collective emissions by 25 to 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2020. Additionally, each developed country would also commit to an 'economy-wide' 2020 emission reduction target (known as a Quantified Emission Reduction Commitment or QERC) and an Emissions Pathway through 2030.
These national targets could be in the form of a range until the final legally binding instrument(s) is agreed in 2010.

Developing countries would agree to take nationally appropriate climate mitigation actions that will reduce emissions significantly (e.g., 15 to 30 percent) below
business-as-usual levels by 2020. African, Asian and Latin-american governments could implement emission reduction policies and measures in all major economic sectors,
including forestry (deforestation is responsible for 15 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions). Some large developing countries that are major economic players and
substantial greenhouse gas emitters, such as China, Brazil, and Mexico also would agree to individual non-binding goals to curb national emissions within the range. the amount of financial support that developed countries come
up with will fundamentally determine the level of action to
which developing countries are prepared to commit.

Country actions and commitments would be reflected in long-term nationally appropriate low-carbon planning processes.

Country Commitments for a Successful Copenhagen Outcome:



2. Building a Sound Foundation
For these commitments to form the basis of an effectively functioning agreement, a framework of international climate machinery needs to be built around them. this
will require a COP decision mandating that negotiations conclude in a legally binding instrument that contains the following specified mechanisms and institutions.