COP15: United Nations Climate Change Conference,
Copenhagen, December 7-18, 2009

With climate changes affecting all aspects of modern living at an escalating pace, the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, in December 2009, is set to be the most critical gathering in decades. The window of opportunity is closing fast, and the coming months will be the decisive period for stakeholders from all sectors, across the globe, to call on political leaders to agree to an ambitious treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol.

The Copenhagen Climate Council is working closely with Danish government, the host of COP15, to unite international business around a few, strong messages that can support the negotiation process. The Copenhagen Climate Council Secretariat attends most of the of the key U.N. meetings where negotiations will take place prior to December 2009, and we also follow the Danish host preparations.

Here on the Climate Community we will update the progress and critical developments leading to COP15. Click here, for example, to read the latest "Copenhagen Countdown" post, a regular series of dispatches by our Climate Director, Per Meilstrup.

2009 is the final opportunity

Today, the Kyoto Protocol regulates CO₂ emissions from a select group of mostly developed countries. If the world's nations are to decide upon a new agreement to enter into force before the Kyoto Protocol expires, 2009 is the final opportunity to do so.

A global climate change agreement is necessary so that we can limit the negative man-made effects on the climate system for future generations.

Climate changes in themselves are nothing new. What is new is that the atmospheric concentrations of man-made emissions have increased precipitously in recent decades, and that global warming is happening significantly faster than previously.

See more at the COP15 Danish host country website.