DEBATE OVER CLIMATE CHANGE AT COLUMBIA UN.
Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia’s Earth Institute and Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework on Climate Change, sparred over the best way to address the planet’s problems. In a wide-ranging debate at Columbia University on Thursday morning, Yvo de Boer, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia’s Earth Institute, faced off over how best to address climate change.
Mr. Sachs criticized current international measures as inadequate, and called for a global fund to finance new technology to help poor countries battle the problem. “I don’t see the European trading system as changing the game in technology,” Mr. Sachs said. “We’re going to need a significant pool of international resources.” He applauded a recent Swiss proposal to impose an international levy of $2 a ton on carbon dioxide emissions.
Of the Clean Development Mechanism, a United Nations program that helps poor countries battle global warming, he said, “Things like the CDM are unfortunately very small, marginal tools.” Mr. de Boer defended the program, saying it was a useful tool for engaging poor countries in climate change issues, while acknowledging that current gains were incremental. NY Times October 9, 2008, By Kate Galbraith
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