Harvard Project Hosts High-Level Climate Policy Roundtable in Copenhagen

The Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements hosted a high-level roundtable at the Copenhagen Conference of the Parties (COP 15) in December 2009, attended by key leaders in government, business, and environmental advocacy groups.

The roundtable, held at Copenhagen's Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, examined some of the most pressing issues before us all, including:

• International climate policy after COP 15 in Copenhagen: The road to an agreement.
• Finance for mitigation and adaptation in developing countries, including potential modifications to the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism.
• Carbon markets after 2012, and economic incentives in a new international climate agreement.
• The outlook for U.S. domestic action on climate change, through congressional legislation, regulation, and judicial decisions.

The meeting gave negotiators and stakeholders an opportunity to explore the future direction of climate change policy and included a briefing on recent Harvard Project research. Speakers included:

• Robert N. Stavins, Director, Harvard Project on International Climate Agreements
• Jeffrey Frankel, James W. Harpel Professor of Capital Formation and Growth, Harvard Kennedy School
• Nancy Kontou, Head of Cabinet, Commissioner of Environment, European Commission
• Kevin Leahy, Managing Director — Climate Policy and Economics, Duke Energy

Powerpoint presentations from Professors Stavins and Frankel can be downloaded below.