27 October 2006 by Mohamed T. El-Ashry, REN21 Chair, Senior Fellow of the UN Foundation, Ex-CEO of the GEF

The presentations and discussions at the Second Ministerial meeting of the Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change in Monterrey demonstrated the urgency for early action. We now have a convergence of the science, economics and technology to guide our action. The window of opportunity is closing for staying within a 450-550 ppm range of atmospheric carbon dioxide, and the costs of mitigation and adaptation will rise substantially with time. A sustainable energy future is possible with known technology, the costs are not out of reach, and collaboration between developed and developing countries is essential.

The Gleneagles Dialogue must now evolve from a discussion on issues to a discussion on a framework for an international agreement beyond Kyoto. We should not wait till 2012 to conclude such an agreement.

The following is my proposal for such a framework that recognizes the ''common but differentiated responsibility'' of developed and developing countries and the importance for sustainable economic growth, especially for developing countries. The framework also emphasizes mitigation as well as adaptation, and the link between adaptation and development, and the need for expanded research and development (R&D) efforts for cleaner and lower cost energy technologies, including renewable energy.

The framework includes:

1. Effective targets and timetables for emissions reduction by developed countries, including reductions through carbon trading and an enhanced and more efficient CDM.
   
2. Targets and timetables by developing countries for energy efficiency followed by commitments for emissions reductions. Such targets should also be differentiated among developing countries.
   
3. Enhanced investment in R&D and dissemination of more efficient, cleaner, and lower cost energy technologies. As an incentive, developed countries that meet a target for lower cost technologies could receive credit towards their emissions reduction target.
   
4. R&D collaboration and exchange of information on more efficient and cleaner technologies. This could be facilitated through the formation of a ''Consultative Group on Clean Energy Research.''
   
5. Facilitation of clean energy technology transfer to developing countries including transfer through more flexible intellectual property rights and competition rules.
   
6. Financial assistance to developing countries for the adoption of clean energy technology and for adaptation measures This can be accomplished through new funds, official development assistance (ODA), and coordinated actions of international financial institutions.

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