Posted on 21 September
2009
The Acropolis, a symbol of western civilization,
will be the world’s oldest landmark to turn
off lights for Earth Hour and join the global
movement of fight against climate change.
New York, USA - World leaders meeting in
New York for the UN Climate Summit on Tuesday
22 September have a historic opportunity
to shape a ground breaking climate agreement
that can help save the world from the ravages
of runaway climate change, WWF said today.
WWF is urging wealthy
and industrialised nations that have contributed
the bulk of historical carbon emissions
to lead the way in reducing them, while
helping poorer countries to deal with the
impacts.
“Negotiations for the
UN climate agreement have proceeded at a
snail’s pace this year, stalled by a lack
of clear political leadership,” said WWF
International Director General Jim Leape.
“Climate change is the foremost threat to
our environment, our economy and our security.
We will succeed in meeting this challenge
only if the heads of state now gathering
in New York commit themselves to bold action
to reduce emissions, and to support those
suffering already from climate change impacts.”
Moving to clean energy
not just what the climate needs
“Some world leaders
are still hesitating to embrace the low
carbon economy. Moving to clean energy technologies
is not just what the climate needs – it
is the key to prosperity in this century.”
“Scores of business
leaders have come out in support of a strong
climate deal, as have, most recently, investors
representing a quarter of the world’s annual
GDP. It is time for our political leaders
to step up.”
Climate change is already hitting many of
the poorest nations, and one crucial commitment
needed from leaders of wealthy nations is
to provide immediate finance and technical
support to help these countries adapt.
“The countries that
have contributed the least to climate change
are now bearing the brunt of its impacts,”
Leape said. “Industrialized countries must
find a way to mobilize immediate funding
to help those countries adapt.”
This week, WWF is looking
to world leaders to declare that they are
determined to forge a binding climate deal
at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen
in December – a deal which will ensure that
global carbon emissions begin to decline
within the next decade.
WWF is urging emissions
reductions in developed countries at the
upper levels of the 25-40 percent cuts by
2020 recommended by scientists for developed
nations in order to keep the world well
out of the red zone.
“Leaders of wealthy
nations have promised to limit warming to
below 2°C but have not yet committed
to anything like the required level of emissions
reductions,” said Leape. “The UN Summit
is the place to recognize that what’s on
the table now is not enough and that developed
countries need to come back with more before
Copenhagen.”
“At the same time, leaders
of major developing countries must make
their commitment to climate action more
visible to the world. Countries like China,
India, Mexico and South Africa are already
working very actively to combat climate
change, but we still need to see them come
forward and put these actions into a global
climate framework.”
What leaders can do
this week
According to WWF, what
leaders can specifically do this week is
to:
• Agree to a strong,
legally binding climate regime for the period
after 2012, by amending the Kyoto Protocol
and agreeing to a new Copenhagen Protocol;
• Ensure that global carbon emissions peak
by 2017 at the latest and decline quickly
thereafter, with an aim to cut global emissions
by at least 80 percent below 11000 levels
by 2050;
• Agree to decarbonise developed country
economies by 2050 and to reduce their emissions
by 40% below 11000 levels in 2020 as a first
step;
• Facilitate the transition to low-carbon
economies in developing countries by providing
160bn USD annually as financing for mitigation
and adaptation and by providing access to
clean technologies;
• Support immediate action for climate change
adaptation in developing countries;
• Support a zero net deforestation target
by 2020.
www.panda.org/media for latest news and
media resources
