Mexico has been selected to host the 16th Conference of the Parties (COP16) on climate change, which was held in Cancun, during November 29 – December 10, 2010. Following the difficult and disappointing result reached in Copenhagen for a large part of the global civil society, Mexico is facing a great challenge in resuming negotiations to establish an international climate regime. One of the main objectives of this conference was to re-establish the citizens’ trust in their governments, in order to achieve ambitious commitments, to stabilize global temperatures and prevent an increase in greenhouse gas emissions which represent the main cause for climate change. Another objective was to strengthen the principles stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol. In this context, every country will help reduce the effects caused by climate change, based on their responsibilities and capacities. A very important measure would be to focus more on railway transport, which is less polluting. This measure would apply mostly in the case of developed or emerging economies. The national and global emission level should no longer reach threatening levels. In August 2010, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon stated that he doubts member states will reach a new global agreement to address global warming, but after the Tianjin talks in October Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said, “This week has got us closer to a structured set of decisions that can be agreed in Cancun … This is the greatest societal and economic transformation that the world has ever seen.” Other commentators spoke of a positive spirit of negotiation and of paving the way for agreement in Cancun. Developed countries have a historical responsibility for the greenhouse gas levels and, therefore, they should try to reduce them even more. Mexico proposes incentives for emerging economies in order to help them develop in conformity with the greenhouse gas emission reduction programs, but also based on their own willingness and objectives.
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