| The recent international gathering in Bali sought to advance a global compact for addressing climate change, while the issue has emerged in the political discourse at national, state and local levels in the US and elsewhere. This plenary will begin with an update on the status of global climate change negotiations and the prospects for meaningful change given the upcoming US presidential and congressional elections. The session will then turn to a debate of some of the more controversial strategies being promoted to address the crisis, such as payment for environmental services, biofuels, and "clean coal". With Peter Riggs, Forum on Democracy & Trade; Annie Leonard, host of "The Story of Stuff", Daphne Wysham, Institute for Policy Studies; and Tom Athanasiou, EcoEquity |