Monitor Climate Pledges On New UNEP Site

by Stephen Messenger, Porto Alegre, Brazil on 12.14.09

The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) unveiled a new Web site that allows users to track the promises of countries to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. The Web site is currently following the pledges made by 27 members of the European Union and more than 25 other nations--and is updated as more proposals are made at COP15. The executive director of UNEP, Achim Steiner, said that from now on anyone can follow, from the comfort of their own home, plans and policies of governments in the area of combating global warming. According to the agency, the major goal of negotiations at COP15 is for nations to agree on allowing the global temperatures to rise no more than 2°C compared to 18th century levels. In order to achieve this, emissions must be reduced by 44 billion tons by 2020.

Up until now, following all the reduction pledges released by different nations and understanding where they fit into the overall goal of making some difference was quite difficult--but no longer. The Web site includes a bar-graph which clearly shows where the negotiations stand today and what the world can expect from COP15 if all the pledges made are lived-up to. Accountability and transparency in deciding policy stem from an educated public demanding it. And, when it comes to decisions of global consequence like those being hashed out in Copenhagen, Web sites like the one created by UNEP are invaluable for allowing everyone do to their duty of staying informed. Check out the UNEP Climate Pledges Site. More on COP15 Pledges Norway Pledges to Be Carbon Neutral by 2030 Asian Pacific Countries Backslide On Emissions Cuts Pledge Confused by Emission Reduction Pledges and Targets? New Converter Tool Sorts It Out