Energy and Environment Program

International Forum on Global Environmental Governance and Climate Change

October 27-28, 2009
The Embassy of Italy to the United States
Washington, DC

Presented by:
The Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program
Aspen Institute Italia
The Aspen Institute Catto Fellowship Program

View the list of confirmed participants.

Climate change, loss of biodiversity, natural resource depletion, and a host of other environmental problems, coupled with growing energy challenges and increasing human populations, threaten disruptions on a scale more imposing than ever before. Indeed, this combination of global environmental trends imperils the balance of nature, the survival of species and human well-being.

The current global regulatory bodies and enforcement mechanisms are sorely inadequate to address the environmental challenges of the 21st century. Major innovation and reforms to international environmental governance structures are necessary in order to overcome these challenges.

This will require far-reaching and effective collaboration. These intertwined environmental, energy, and development issues will require the involvement of a variety of public, non-governmental, and private organizations.

In collaboration with the Aspen Institute Italia and the Aspen Institute Inaugural Class of Catto Fellows, the Aspen Institute Energy and Environment Program convened international business and NGO leaders and leading government officials in an international forum to promote and advance leadership and innovation in global environmental governance. This Forum, at the Embassy of Italy to the United States in Washington, DC, October 27-28, 2009, explored how modern reform concepts can improve global environmental problem solving and conflict resolution.

View the list of participants.

Forum Background

The momentum of current climate change negotiations points to the need for advancing the administrative governance and international cooperation capacity necessary for effective and competent management of a post-2012 international agreement on greenhouse gas emissions reductions. Advocates of improved global environmental governance and reform must ensure that a deliberate discussion on climate change governance becomes a priority in the negotiation of new institutional arrangements that will be assigned or adopted under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Aspen Institute International Forum on Global Environmental Governance will provide substantial time to sessions on climate change and the need for improved environmental governance, including adequate systems and mechanisms for quantifiable monitoring, verification, and reporting on meeting worldwide emissions reductions goals.

Additionally, the year 2012 represents a significant milestone for environmental governance. As the world looks ahead to 2012, the 40th anniversary of the landmark Declaration of the United Nations Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm and the 20th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, this Forum will turn focus what can be done to ensure that this milestone anniversary is met with innovative and effective environmental problem solving. It will explore how reform concepts and fresh thinking can improve international environmental problem solving and governance, and it will surface strategies and steps for the path to 2012.

Forum Goals

The goals of the Forum were:

 1)     To raise awareness of the need for enhancing global environmental governance and to surface possible roles for US and international leadership in this movement.

 2)     To highlight the importance of international and global environmental governance (GEG) in meeting climate change goals – and to build understanding of how the success of climate change negotiations is hinged upon effective environmental governance.

 3)     To surface strategies and steps for the path to the 2012 World Summit on Sustainable Development (Stockholm +40/Rio +20), helping ensure that this milestone anniversary is met with innovative and effective environmental problem solving. 

Based on the exchange of ideas at the Forum, the Aspen Institute will produce a preliminary document with observations and findings on how modern global environmental governance will move forward, with specific emphasis on the integrity and credibility of institutional arrangements for meeting climate change goals.