Ministers from OECD member countries and key emerging economies will meet in Paris on 25-26 February to identify action in response to challenges and opportunities facing the food and agriculture sector, such as food security, sustainable development, climate change and water use.

After the Copenhagen Accord, the world needs to find an ambitious and legally-binding global agreement on climate change in Mexico, said Mr Gurría during a workshop on climate change organised by the European Union. He added that the EU should continue to play a leading role for the negotiations.

This new publication looks in detail at how globalisation affects activity levels in maritime shipping, aviation, and road and rail freight; assesses the impact that changes in activity levels have on the environment; and discusses policy instruments that can be used to address negative environmental impacts.

“Though far from perfect, the Copenhagen Accord is a hard-fought political agreement. With most countries likely to sign, it is a breakthrough towards collective international action to limit global emissions and help build cleaner, more resilient economies”, said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría.

During a press briefing at the Copenhaguen summit, Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary General, shared OECD recent analysis and the main policy conclusions on climate change. He presented what needs to be done in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and how investment in a greener future can be financed without impacting the competitiveness of our economies.

Today, the OECD is actively working with governments to highlight the role of cities to deliver cost-effective policy responses to climate change. Cities are centers of innovation and can advance clean energy systems, sustainable transportation and waste management to reduce greenhouse gases.

A new paradigm is needed to ensure that countries take better advantage of the large potential benefits that can accompany the move towards greener economies. Countries still do not take full account of the costs of inaction on environmental challenges such as climate change, air and water pollution and inefficient use of energy and resources. Such costs of inaction can be considerable, especially for developing countries whose economies rely more heavily on natural resources and where climate change is expected to hit hardest.

The impact of climate change on our environment, our economies and our security is the defining issue of our era. OECD is at the forefront of climate change analysis, promoting environmentally and economically rational policies related to adaptation, mitigation, technology, financing and development. The OECD will be present in several ways at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, from 7-18 December 2009.

To learn more about how to register GHG mitigation actions post-2012; match support and GHG mitigation actions; track financial flows; assess national and sectoral mitigation potential; and understand sectoral approaches and the carbon market -- See these new papers from the OECD/IEA Annex I Expert Group.

The OECD is ready to assist countries in their efforts to find lasting solutions to finance action on climate change, building on the long-standing work of the organisation to share country experiences and identify lessons learnt and policy recommendations for good practice.

Based on fears that the competitiveness of their domestic industries will be undermined by weak greenhouse gas emission reduction pledges from developing country trading partners, developed countries are calling for border taxes on carbon. But these fears are often exaggerated, and posturing over border taxes diverts attention away from the fundamental need for broad participation in a climate agreement, according to an op-ed by the OECD Secretary-General published in the Financial Times: "Carbon has no place in global trade rules".