Copenhagen Considerations

Dr. Harold Coward spoke about the ethical considerations that might go into policy decisions and provided an overview of how various religious groups view the ethical issues involved in biotechnology, one of the technologies that is likely to be front and centre as agriculture adapts to climate change. Gordon McBean identified the importance of policy uncertainty and the impact that this can have on adaptation. Ben Gramig outlined the costs and the bureaucratic issues that must be considered as we design policy in the face of climate change.

In my comments, I focused on the scheduled December 2009 meeting in Copenhagen that will attempt to design a new international framework for dealing with climate change. The timing of this meeting is important as it is being held during a major worldwide financial crisis. As a result of this crisis, there are significant debates and discussions going on regarding the question, "What should the new economic order look like?" As an example, I cited a recent article in Vanity Fair by Joseph Stiglitz, the Nobel prize winner. Part of Stiglitz's argument is that there is a real danger that the economic crisis is going to allow protectionist forces to rear their head. Perhaps more importantly and certainly more interestingly, he identified the importance of looking back at the policies that governed the international monetary system over the last 30-40 years and asking whose interests were privileged within this system. His conclusion is that it was the developed countries, and specifically the large financial institutions, that were the prime beneficiaries of the system that was developed.

I used Stiglitz's article as a jumping off point to think about what Copenhagen and subsequent meetings will have to say about what will emerge in terms of international climate change policy. If we can take a lesson from the financial system, I think that the GHG policy will be drafted in a way that benefits certain groups. Who might those groups be? On the corporate side, I suspect they will be the large energy companies and the large biotech firms. What about countries? Are we witnessing a period where the influence of the West is giving way to some of the other countries, in particular, India and China? Are these new economic powers going to put their stamp on this policy environment in a way that fundamentally changes the economic order?

One of the panel speakers mentioned the developing countries' desire to "stick it" to the West for their policies over the last several decades. My guess is that this will be difficult to do. However, I also suspect that the current economic crisis and the restructuring that inevitably follows will provide countries like India and China the opportunity to play a much larger role than we have seen. The response of agriculture to this new global regime could be just as important and interesting as its response to climate change.

To view all the presentations on streaming video, visit the NABC 21 website.

This blog entry was authored by Murray Fulton. To read additional Illative Blog entries or to leave comments on this entry, please visit www.illativeblog.ca. The Illative Blog is an initiative by the Knowledge Impact in Society (KIS) Project based out of the University of Saskatchewan. Email correspondence can be sent to kis.project@usask.ca