Posted on 17 December
2009 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Leaders arriving
to sign a Copenhagen climate agreement and
finding that they now need to salvage it
need to take a global
rather than national approach to the numerous
outstanding issues, WWF said today.
“It looks like The Copenhagen
Climate Summit could have made it through
the valley of death”, said Kim Carstensen,
Leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative.
“It’s encouraging that
some new offers are starting to hit the
table. Now is the time for Heads of States
to show their leadership skills. We need
to turn the positive dynamic into a real
domino effect, so that actions by countries
add up to a global effort that protects
us from climate change.”
Carstensen said that
after days of deadlock there was renewed
movement on the long term climate financing
issue. If the renewed finance discussion
also leads to willingness for more ambition
on emissions reductions targets, there could
still be a Copenhagen climate deal with
some substance.
Opportunity for Europe
to play leader
“Europe has often claimed
a leadership role on climate and now is
the time to exercise it,” said Carstensen.
“A bold step forward
on emissions cuts to 2020 – moving to at
least the necessary 30% cut from 11000 levels
– could be the deal making gesture the climate
talks need at this point. The developing
world would be able to see that some of
the developed world is listening to their
concerns.”
Carstensen said it was
welcome to hear US Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton tell the Copenhagen climate conference
that the US stands ready to do its fair
share.
“US help in mobilising
an additional $100 billion annually by 2020
to help climate change initiatives and adaptation
in the developing world is also extremely
welcome”, Carstensen added.
However, we need to
know that this is new and additional money
and not a reshuffling or double counting
of existing aid.”
To back up the positive
signals sent to the international negotiations
in Copenhagen, WWF calls on President Obama
to make domestic climate and clean energy
legislation his top priority.
WWF hopes that positive
moves by the US and the EU could also inspire
China to up the ante.
“The levels and conditions
of transparency of emissions cuts in the
emerging economies are another sticking
point in Copenhagen that’s still clouded
in silence” said Carstensen.
“A move from China on
this highly contentious issue could break
a real deadlock.”
