Media Advisory
June 10, 2014
Contact: Laura Rehrmann, press@c2es.org, 703-516-4146

C2ES examines options for a flexible, ambitious climate agreement

WASHINGTON — The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) released a new report today examining options for building both flexibility and ambition into the new international climate change agreement due next year in Paris.

The report, “Building Flexibility and Ambition into a 2015 Climate Agreement“, explores a new “hybrid” approach emerging in the United Nations climate negotiations that would blend top-down and bottom-up elements to achieve both broad participation and strong action.

Noting that parties have already agreed on a central bottom-up element — with the call last year in Warsaw for “intended nationally determined contributions” — the paper outlines a range of potential top-down elements that could help ensure that parties’ contributions are ambitious and strengthen over time. These include a long-term goal as a benchmark for evaluating countries’ efforts, reporting and review procedures to promote transparency and accountability, and provisions for updating or initiating the next round of national contributions.

The paper, co-authored by Arizona State University law professor Daniel Bodansky and C2ES Executive Vice President Elliot Diringer, will be presented Wednesday, June 11, at a side event at the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations in Bonn, Germany (3 to 4:30 p.m. in the Solar Room). Event details are below.

Diringer is available to talk to reporters during or after this week’s UNFCCC talks about progress and next steps. Contact Laura Rehrmann at rehrmannl@c2es.org to arrange interviews.

Read the report.

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C2ES will host a side event at the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change talks in Bonn, Germany.

Bounded Flexibility: Designing a “Hybrid” Climate Agreement
Date: Wednesday, June 11, 3-4:30 p.m.
Location: Ministry of Environment, Room SOLAR
Sponsor: Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and the Institut du Developpement Durable et Des Relations Internationales (IDDRI)

An emerging paradigm for a 2015 agreement is a “hybrid” model blending top-down and bottom-up elements. Presentations and discussion will explore ways such an approach can provide the flexibility needed to achieve broad participation while also promoting strong ambition.

Speakers include:

• Dan Bodansky, Professor, Sandra Day O’Connor School of Law, Arizona University
• Thomas Spencer, Program Director for Energy and Climate, IDDRI
• Zou Ji, Deputy Director, National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC), China
• Franz Perrez, Head of International Affairs, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland
• Isabel Cavelier*, Team Leader, Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean (AILAC)
• Elliot Diringer, Executive Vice President, Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES)

* Speaking in a personal capacity

See these additional C2ES resources:

• Evolution of the International Climate Effort
• Issues for a 2015 Climate Agreement
• Alongside the UNFCCC: Complementary Venues for Climate Action

About C2ES: The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan organization promoting strong policy and action to address the twin challenges of energy and climate change. Launched in 2011, C2ES is the successor to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change. Learn more at www.c2es.org.