Ecowatch reported yesterday that the climate talks process is not delivering ambition on emissions reductions. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Director General Jim Leape said there isn’t a single scenario on the table that helps mitigate climate change. He stated that it isn’t the fault of the process but the fault of the governments.
Leape said, “Here in Durban, we need agreement around a package that includes the creation of the Green Climate Fund and a work plan to get some money into it. And we need to secure a second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol.”
He went on to say that before the recent meeting the organization was talking about a post-2012 climate change regime. But because of the U.S. and a few other countries, they’re talking about a post-2020 regime. Further, if there is no plan to reduce emissions and a timeline for implementation by 2020, the world will be in catastrophe.
Leape had this to say about the U.S.: “It is striking that as the U.S. hinders progress here, it is acting against its own self- interest. Just this past year, 47 of the 50 United States were forced to declare a state of emergency in response to climate-related weather disasters. Fourteen of these disasters cost over a billion dollars each.
So while politicians continue to bicker around the edges of the negotiations, we will be looking for leaders to engage on the real issues here. We NGOs (non-governmental organizations) are here to address the urgent threat of climate change and ensure a future world where there is enough food, water and energy for all. Might be good to ask governments why they’re here.”
To read the full article please click here. What do you think about this situation? Why do you think the U.S. would hinder climate change talks? Discuss!
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