This is a post by Daisy Pistey-Lyhne, ACE’s Policy Liaison and Regional Managing Educator in Washington, D.C.

As fall turns to winter and snowfall arrives in some places, many of you are beginning to dream of escapes to distant tropical lands. If so, I know you’ll be particularly interested in this week’s topic: Cancun, Mexico.

While a trip to Cancun may not be in future, this sunny city will be the focus of a great deal of international attention over the next 2 weeks.

Nations from around the world are sending representatives to discuss, debate, and hopefully find some agreement on international climate change solutions at a meeting of the UNFCCC from November 29-December 10, 2010.

Youth from around the world are there, too, representing your voice in decisions about the future of our planet. See what’s ahead…

What the heck is the UNFCCC?

The UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) is what some people call our best chance for the world’s nations to jointly address climate change with solutions.

It is a body of the United Nations (the UN) – which as you perhaps learned in World History class, is the global body through which international diplomacy occurs. The UN was set up in 1945, after World War II, as a place for peaceful resolution of international conflicts – like war. The UN now deals with a variety of global topics, from refugees to AIDS, from the environment to hunger.

Since 1994, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, known as the Conference of Parties (COP)  has happened each year. While a conference of parties in Cancun may sound like the biggest fiesta imaginable(!), this really means that the many nations that have signed onto the Climate Change Convention (a convention is like a treaty or an agreement that different nations sign) are “Parties” to the agreement, and they are gathering in a “conference”.

While that might sound like less fun, it is pretty important for the future of the climate. Delegates from hundreds of countries, and representatives from thousands of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and businesses hold a large meeting to discuss the future of global climate solutions, hash out deals on climate emissions reductions, and build relationships between countries to address this global problem.

So, What’s the deal about Cancun? Will anything happen anyway?

Because each COP begins with several meetings in the months leading up to it (which lay the groundwork for the COP negotiations itself), by the time delegates arrive to the COP, it is clear which topics they will be discussing, and also fairly clear what the agreement that is reached (if any) will look like. At COP 15 in Copenhagen last year, hopes were high that the world would adopt emissions reductions targets to replace the Kyoto Protocol that would slow dramatic climate change.

This year, there is not such hope. Negotiations in Cancun are restricted to a narrow number of topics, such as:

– Adaptation to the impacts of climate change (droughts, floods, intense storms, agricultural impacts, etc.)

– Sharing of clean energy technology between more and less developed countries

– Agreement on how to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation

– Structures for money that would flow from countries that create a lot of GHG pollution to poorer countries that will most feel the impacts of climate change (like island nations) to be used to reduce climate impacts on people.

However, some big topics need to be negotiated before 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol times out:

– The continuation of the Kyoto Protocol and emissions reduction targets;

– Ensuring that countries who agree to reduce their emissions are held accountable;

– The mobilization of long-term financing for projects to reduce emissions

Though not much was agreed on at COP 15 in Copenhagen, progress was made in several key areas including governments recognizing the need to keep global temperature rise to below 2 degrees C.

At the same time, even if current pledges to cut or limit emissions were implemented completely and on time, global emissions would still keep growing in the next 10 years. In Cancun, nations have the opportunity to reduce this threat.

It’s all about the Benjamins…

Many different interest groups feel that these issues should be addressed in different ways – everyone from big businesses and indigenous tribes to groups of local city council members and youth representatives attend. These groups attend the COPs and issue written statements that they hope will influence the nations as they negotiate.

In advance of this week’s negotiations, a statement was released by a group of 259 large global investors – both asset owners and asset managers – that collectively represent assets of over US$15 trillion. The statement calls on the world’s governments to reduce their GHG pollution by adopting strong policies at the COP. While some believe that climate protections will hurt business, more and more businesses are speaking up, asking for clear climate policies!

What can youth do?

In the last six years, youth from around the world have had a strong presence during the COPs. In fact, youth have even become aregistered constituency in the last few years, which means that they have the opportunity to speak during the plenary sessions and the high level segments of the COP. Youth are speaking up and being heard at the COP, carrying an important message about saving the climate for future generations.

As representatives of half the population of the planet, the youth delegates have many voices to speak for, and take their role very seriously. See one famous youth, Severn Suzuki, who was 14 years old when she gave her famous speech to the UN in 1992.  Then in 2009, Kirsty Schneeberger gave this powerful speech in Bonn, Germany as a youth delegate, asking the older delegates to consider whether they will still be around in 2050. When youth speak, they bring a new perspective to the negotiations – an important perspective!

In order to be fully prepared for the COP, youth delegates from around the world gathered last weekend for the sixth annual Conference of Youth. In 3 full days of trainings, meeting other passionate youth climate advocates, and deepening their knowledge, Youth Delegates became familiar with the UNFCCC process and the schedule for COP 16. To get a peek inside the experience of attending the Conference of Youth and COP 16, check out this blog post from a Canadian youth delegate and this one from a young American attending through SustainUS.org.

While the tangible policy outcomes from Cancun COP 16 may be minimal, hopefully it will be a forum where the youth of the world can voice their concern for the future – and be heard and listened to by world leaders.