Cross Country Checkup·Checkup

What do you expect from the Paris climate change summit?

World leaders head to Paris in early December for the United Nations conference on climate change. What are your expectations for the summit? With guest host Piya Chattopadhyay.
To make a statement about the rising sea level, street artist/surfer Sean Yoro (a.k.a. Hula) created these oil paintings on icebergs. They'll melt before the UN climate talks even begin. (Byhula.com)

World leaders head to Paris in early December for the United Nations conference on climate change. Checkup asked: What are your expectations for the summit?

With guest host Piya Chattopadhyay. 

Leaders and negotiators from more than 190 countries are converging on Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 10, 2015 for the UN climate summit, known as COP21. The international talks will focus on how to slow global warming and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
CBC Radio host, Piya Chattopadhyay. (Ruby Buiza/CBC)

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in Paris for the climate talks. Joining him is a Canadian delegation including many premiers and a representative from every province and territory--and Elizabeth May, leader of the Green Party of Canada, who is featured on this week's program. 

At the same time, around the world, people are urging world leaders to take this opportunity to hammer out a workable agreement. Climate change advocates have been holding events as part of Global Climate Marches. Organizers say there are over 2,000 of these marches-- which make it one of the largest climate change protests in history. In Paris itself, there are many protests--including one by the Place de la Republique that turned ugly. Riot police used tear gas to break up that demonstration and about a hundred people were arrested.

On this week's program we heard what you're thinking about on the push to respond to climate change not just internationally-- but also here in Canada.

What changes would you like to see industry making? What changes are you prepared to make for climate change? And how much are you prepared to pay for the cost of a greener economy? Are you worried about the economic cost of climate change?

Our question: "What are your expectations for the climate change summit in Paris?"

GUESTS

Eric Reguly
European columnist for The Globe and Mail.
Twitter: @ereguly

James Meadowcroft
Canada Research Chair in Governance for Sustainable Development at Carleton University
Twitter: @Graham_Journal

Graham Thomson
Political Affairs Columnist for the Edmonton Journal

Elizabeth May
Leader of the Green Party of Canada and MP for Saanich-Gulf Islands
Twitter: @ElizabethMay

Tom Pedersen
Chair of the Canadian Climate Forum in Ottawa and Professor at the School of Earth and Ocean Sciences at the University of Victoria

LINKS AND ARTICLES

CBC.ca

Globe and Mail

Toronto Star

National Post

Ottawa Citizen

Other