WATERLOO — The road to a global agreement on climate change is littered with failures.

The Kyoto Protocol. The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen.

And United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon doubts a comprehensive deal will be struck at a conference in Mexico later this year.

So how can these political log jams be overcome?

That’s one of the questions that will be on the minds of delegates at a climate change conference hosted by The Centre for International Governance Innovation later this week.

“There have absolutely been failures, and absolutely been heartbreak,” said co-chair Jason Blackstock, a strategic adviser at the Waterloo think-tank. But issues of this complexity and scope aren’t easily solved.

“It’s a long process of trial and error — and sometimes more errors than you would like — but you don’t stop.”

Dozens of international climate change experts, from scientists to policy-makers, are en route to Waterloo for its three-day Climate of Action conference.

Through a public address by Environment Minister Jim Prentice and former United Kingdom science adviser Sir David King and a series of private round-table discussions, the conference will explore the actions needed to work toward an effective global climate deal.

“Whether we get a global deal or not, what we need is action soon to help reduce the future risks from climate change,” Blackstock said. “Time is running out on taking tangible action now.”

Although tickets for Friday’s public address are sold out, it will be webcast on the internet. Visit www.cigionline.org to register.

Conference manager Agata Antkiewicz and CIGI’s events team, including Briton Dowhaniuk and Allison Yanke, have been tasked with logistics — everything from arranging accommodation and transportation for delegates to ensuring the technical details for the webcast are just so.

In an effort to keep the event as environmentally-friendly as possible, CIGI is purchasing carbon offsets and is partnering with a number of local businesses that champion green products and technologies.

The conference allows CIGI to bring together individuals who might not otherwise get an opportunity to meet and discuss issues of common interest, said communications director Fred Kuntz.

“We can invite people that we think would be an excellent mix,” Kuntz said. “There’s an element of global matchmaking.”

The private weekend sessions will run under what’s known as the Chatham House Rule — what’s said can be made public, but the speakers aren’t identified.

“They can be a bit more open,” Antkiewicz said. “For this one, we wanted to get that more candid, more focused discussion.”

Content from the conference will ultimately be posted on CIGI’s website, and a final report will be produced.

It’s not inconceivable to think that ideas developed in Waterloo could influence the upcoming climate change discussions in Mexico or the dialogue at the next G20 summit in France, said Blackstock.

At the same time, the conference could help to define CIGI’s environmental and energy program going forward, Kuntz said.

“We’re still a young organization,” Kuntz said. “But we’re already having a global impact.”