C2ES has been deeply involved in the United Nations climate talks for many years, producing expert analysis on issues before negotiators, and facilitating informal dialogue among key countries.In the two years leading up to the 2015 Paris climate summit, C2ES convened the Toward 2015 dialogue, which brought together lead negotiators from more than 20 countries to discuss options for a new climate agreement. The final report of the dialogue co-chairs, presented to Ministers at the Major Economies Forum in Luxembourg in July 2015, was widely credited as an essential blueprint for the Paris Agreement reached five months later. Prospect magazine named C2ES the top U.S. energy and environment think tank in 2016 for our contribution to achieving the Paris Agreement.
Following the Paris summit, C2ES continued to regularly organize informal discussions among lead negotiators, focusing on key issues in implementing the Paris Agreement, such as transparency and the five-year “ambition cycle.” These discussions led to a report outlining landing zones for the Paris “rulebook” adopted in 2018 in Katowice, Poland. By the close of the Katowice conference, the report had been viewed in 125 countries.
In parallel, C2ES also convenes the Carbon Market Dialogue, which brings together negotiators and private sector representatives to discuss issues in implementing provisions of the Paris Agreement facilitating the use of market mechanisms to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2004-2005, C2ES organized the Climate Dialogue at Pocantico, which brought together 25 senior government, business, and civil society representatives from around the world to consider options for advancing the international climate change effort. The group’s report, International Climate Efforts Beyond 2012, introduced many of the key concepts reflected in later U.N. climate agreements, including the Bali Action Plan and the Cancun Agreements.