Barcelona,
6 November 2009 - The last negotiating session
before the historic UN Climate Change Conference
in Copenhagen in December concluded Friday
in Barcelona, Spain.
Speaking at a press
conference in Barcelona, UNFCCC Executive
Secretary Yvo de Boer reiterated that Copenhagen
must result in a strong international climate
change deal.
"Copenhagen can
and must be the turning point in the international
fight against climate change - nothing has
changed my confidence in that," he
said. "A powerful combination of commitment
and compromise can and must make this happen,"
he added.
Specifically, progress
on adaptation, technology cooperation, reducing
emissions from deforestation in developing
countries and mechanisms to disburse funds
for developing countries was made in Barcelona.
"It is essential
that practical action is swiftly implemented
after Copenhagen to assist developing countries
in their fight against climate change,"
the UN's top climate change official said.
However, little progress
was made on the two key issues of mid-term
emission reduction targets of developed
countries and finance that would allow developing
countries to limit their emissions growth
and adapt to the inevitable effects of climate
change.
"Without these two pieces of the puzzle
in place, we will not have a deal in Copenhagen,"
Yvo de Boer said. "So leadership at
the highest level is required to unlock
the pieces," he added.
At a summit in New York
earlier this year, heads of state and government
pledged to clinch a deal in Copenhagen that
provides clarity on: ambitious emission
reduction targets of industrialised countries;
nationally appropriate mitigation actions
by developing countries with the necessary
support; significantly scaled-up financial
and technological resources and an equitable
governance structure for these resources.
"I look to industrialised
countries to raise their ambitions to meet
the scale of the challenge we face,"
said Yvo de Boer. "And I look to industrialsed
nations for clarity on the amount of short
and long-term finance they will commit."
According to Yvo de
Boer, developed countries would need to
provide fast-track funding on the order
of at least 10 billion USD to enable developing
countries to immediately develop low emission
growth and adaptation strategies and to
build internal capacity.
At the same time, developed
countries will need to indicate how they
intend to raise predictable and sustainable
long-term financing and what there longer-term
commitments will be.
According to the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change, an aggregate emission
reduction by industrialised countries of
between minus 25% and 40% over 11000 levels
would be required by 2020 in order to stave
off the worst effects of climate change,
with global emissions falling by at least
50% by 2050. Even under this scenario, there
would be an only a 50% chance of avoiding
the most catastrophic consequences.
"Negotiators must
deliver a final text at Copenhagen which
presents a strong, functioning architecture
to kick start rapid action in the developing
world," said Yvo de Boer. "And
between now and Copenhagen, governments
must deliver the clarity required to help
the negotiators complete their work,"
he added.
More than 4,500 participants,
including delegates from 181 countries,
took part in the Barcelona UN Climate Change
Talks.
The UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen
will take place from 7 to 18 December.
+ More
Friday 13th! Seal the
Deal!: Let's Make Our Own Climate Luck
13th November 2009,
Nairobi, Kenya - Let's not leave the world's
fate to luck, say climate change campaigners
as part of the UN wide Seal the Deal! campaign
on Friday 13th, a day that is perceived
as lucky for some, unlucky for others.
Lady luck is being given
a helping hand this year as Seal the Deal
launches its new social networking tool
– the Seal the Deal "Stamp your Avatar"
service ahead of the crucial UN climate
change talks in Copenhagen this December.
This will allow users
to integrate their Facebook and Twitter
accounts.
Once a user has signed
the Seal the Deal petition at www.sealthedeal2009.org
they can post a status update to their Facebook
Wall and stamp their Twitter avatar with
the Seal the Deal logo.
"The lead up to
the climate change conference is like the
final act of a thriller where the ending
is not yet decided, but we can still influence
the outcome," said Satinder Bindra,
Director of Communications for the United
Nations Environment Programme.
"We wish to engage
communities around the world encouraging
them to be heard and be counted, whether
that is in person, behind their computer
or through their daily actions," he
added.
"Seal the Deal's
Stamp your Avatar service allows people
to visibly show their support for the campaign
right when it matters most."
Notes to Editors:
Seal the Deal! is a
powerful climate change campaign led by
the United Nations. Through online activities
and special events, the campaign is mobilizing
communities around the world to encourage
governments to seal the deal on a fair,
balanced and effective climate agreement
when they meet in Copenhagen this December.
Find out more at www.sealthedeal2009.org
To stamp your twitter
avatar, go to: http://stampyouravatar.appspot.com/oauth/twitter/stamp
To post a status update
to your Facebook wall, go to:
http://stampyouravatar.appspot.com/connect/facebook/sign
