The Three-Tiered Structure of Mitigation Commitments

This lecture discusses the structure of the negotiations at COP21 and how they can produce a meaningful agreement to achieve the 2 degree Celsius limit on mean global temperature increase using the three-tiered structure for agreement. There are three kinds of metaphorical interaction: a poker game, brainstorming around a table, and a conductor-less orchestra. The first tier of any agreement is a legally binding contribution in the short-term, similar to the poker game. The second tier gives a longer-term framework to work with, and guides toward a theme, similar to the score in a conductor-less orchestra. The third tier of an agreement is a serious worldwide effort to make breakthroughs on technology, or what is called the research, development, demonstration, and diffusion framework. This video is part of the module Towards a New Climate Agreement Based on 2-Degree.