About the Conference

The theme of the Conference is Broadening Climate Discussions: The Linkage of Climate Change to Other Policy Areas. Even as the nations are focused on the uncertain fate of the Kyoto Protocol and what may follow, there are a number of other policy areas that intersect in important ways with efforts to respond to the threat of climate change. The Conference will address a subset of the most important ones, seeking a better understanding of how actions driven by concerns in these areas may help or hinder efforts on climate change. The discussion will cover international trade, agriculture and land use, air pollution control, energy security, economic development and international aid, and urban development.

The FEEM Climate Policy Workshop and MIT Global Change Forum provide a non-official, neutral setting for review and assessment of the evolving state of scientific understanding and policy analysis, and of the ongoing processes of policy formation and institutional development.

Participants span the variety of areas important to the climate issue, and include researchers in the natural and social sciences, political analysts, national officials, industry experts, NGO representatives, and members of key international organizations.

The organisers seek an active, open exchange, and to this end the sessions are organized to preserve time for group discussion. Typically, half of each 90-minute session consists of an opening statement to introduce the session topic, followed by initial comments from one or two participants who either expand on the opening statement or present a contrasting viewpoint. The remainder is devoted to discussion guided by a moderator. To further facilitate a frank interchange, no official transcripts are made of the Forum sessions, and the discussion is under Chatham House rules.