Expectations for Copenhagen

 

In a press briefing held in Bonn, Germany on 25 November 2009 Yvo de Boer, UNFCCC Executive Secretary, spoke about his expectations for the meeting, which he described as a “historic turning point.”

In particular, a successful outcome in Copenhagen requires ambitious emissions targets from industrialized countries, as well as stable and predictable finance to support mitigation and adaptation actions by developing countries - with USD 10 billion a year up to 2013 needed to kick-start immediate action.

Success in Copenhagen, he said, can put the world on a low-emissions growth path and ensure that poor and vulnerable nations are in a position to adapt to the effects of climate change.

Specifically on the needs of developing countries, de Boer said that Copenhagen “can and must” deliver an agreement that launches immediate action in developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change, and start to put themselves on a clean energy path with the requisite technology and capacity building to enable this. He also underscored the need to launch immediate international cooperation to preserve and sustain forests.

Underlining that there is no time to lose, and that the stakes are too high for political self-interest, Mr. de Boer called on countries to work in a spirit of cooperation and compromise to seal the deal in Copenhagen.

Source: United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change