The Kyoto Protocol will expire in 2012 and negotiations are underway to reach a new global climate change agreement at the meeting of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December 2009 in Copenhagen.

The Road to Copenhagen is the UK Government's case for an ambitious agreement at Copenhagen and focuses on urgent action to limit global temperature increases to no more than 2 degrees Celsius, beyond which the risks of dangerous climate change become much greater.

The UK is working for a deal that is ambitious, effective and fair and is leading the debate on many key elements of the negotiations: how to finance the action we need to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change; how to develop and deploy low carbon technology rapidly; how to reduce global deforestation; and reforming international institutions.

Climate change is a global problem which will have direct impacts on the prosperity and security of the UK. An agreement at Copenhagen is a down-payment on a more secure, more stable world. We cannot afford to let the opportunity pass.

The UK believes this new accord should:

• ensure global emissions peak by 2020 and are reduced by at least 50% over 1990 levels by 2050.
  
• require developed countries to take the lead as well as provide financial assistance to developing countries to help them reduce their GHGs.  

Read more  on our vision for Copenhagen.