What’s at stake at the upcoming UN climate summit in Paris? Will a global legally-binding agreement be enough to prevent catastrophic warming? What happens if the summit fails to meet expectations? And, even if it is deemed to be a success, how can we guarantee that the agreed action is actually implemented? How will the world finance its transition to a low-carbon economy?

On 15 October 2015, our partner think-tank Friends of Europe held their 12th annual Climate and Energy Policy Summit in Brussels. Debating Europe was there, and we put your questions to some of the participants, including EU and national policymakers, senior officials from international organisations, business representatives, NGO leaders, experts from the academic world and members of the international press from Brussels and throughout Europe.

On the road to Paris 2015, Debating Europe, in partnership with Friends of Europe, will be inviting policymakers and experts to respond to YOUR questions on climate change as part of a series of debates.

Do you need some of the facts about the numbers involved? We’ve collected information on the climate pledges made by China, the United States, and the European Union in the infographic below (click for a bigger image):

We had a comment sent in by Gonçalo, wondering whether the necessary measures and agreements to mitigate climate change will be achieved in time. Will a legally-binding agreement in Paris be enough to tackle climate change?

To get a response, we spoke to Dr James Hansen, adjunct professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Columbia University and former Head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies (1981-2013). How would he respond to Gonçalo?

We also had a comment sent in by Suitboy, arguing that humanity has to adapt, not because it is beyond our control to slow down or halt climate change, but because: “Change is inevitable and already happening due to historic human emissions of greenhouse gases”.

How would Dr James Hansen react?

We also had a comment from Limbidis, who echoed Dr. Hansen’s concerns about the transition to clean energy in the developing world. In particular, Limbidis argued that China’s growing economy will need more and more energy, which will lead them to burn more oil, gas, coal, etc. Will they will be able to make the switch?

To get an answer, we spoke to Alina Averchenkova, Co-Head of Policy at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. Here’s what she had to say:

The Chinese government recently changed their position on this issue quite fundamentally. So, I think in China it is now a very clear political priority to switch from a heavily coal-based energy sector and economy to an economy where a greater share is given to natural gas and renewables. This is not only for climate change reasons, but also because of local pollution and related public health concerns, and also for reasons of energy security. So, to that extent, the Chinese 5-year plan already includes a committment to switch to a clean energy balance and reduce the share of coal, and practical measures are being put in place.

Having said that, it will be a challenge and it’s not going to be easy for China, but I think Chinese policymakers recognise that. All of the ingredients for making it happen are there, and because of the way the Chinese governance system works, if you have committment at the top it usually is chanelled down through the agencies and economic actors.

What happens if the Paris climate talks fail? Is it too late to prevent climate change, and should we instead be trying to adapt? Let us know your thoughts and comments in the form below, and we’ll take them to policymakers and experts for their reactions!