U.N. Chief Warns Against Waiting For Climate Deal
Aug
31
The world should not wait until next year to cobble together a new climate change pact, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.Ban, addressing diplomats and officials at a ceremony for the 20th anniversary of the U.N. climate panel, said countries negotiating a successor deal to the Kyoto Protocol should aim for a meaningful breakthrough in Poznan, Poland, in December.
Delaying major advances until the end of 2009, when a Copenhagen summit will aim to finalize an accord to tackle rising global temperatures, may be ill-advised, Ban told the event in Geneva.
“We must fight the urge to postpone everything until Copenhagen. Surely we can make concrete progress on some issues,” the U.N. chief said, adding that the Poland meeting should serve as “a very successful bridge” for Copenhagen.
“I would emphasize the need to make the most of the upcoming opportunity in Poznan,” he said. “It is my sincere hope that by the end of this year in Poznan parties to the climate change convention will have achieved a better understanding of a shared vision for long-term cooperative action.”
The Kyoto Protocol binds 37 developed nations to curb emissions of global warming greenhouse gases until 2012. Neither the United States nor China, the top two greenhouse gas emitters, have imposed limits under Kyoto.
September 1st, 2008 at 3:50 am
U.N. Chief Warns Against Waiting For Climate Deal…
The world should not wait until next year to cobble together a new climate change pact, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said.Ban…