June: a turning point for climate change?
3 June 2010
Major breakthroughs towards the global climate agreement that Copenhagen failed to deliver could happen this month at UN climate talks in Bonn, and G8 and G20 meetings in Canada.
“June has the potential to be a turning point for climate politics, after a period of confusion following the UN meeting in Copenhagen last December,” said David Norman, our director of campaigns.
“Copenhagen didn’t deliver the full treaty the world needs, but it brought us very close to agreement on a few crucial elements of the package. Bonn now needs to pick up where Copenhagen left off.”
Debates
We want negotiators in Bonn to advance some important debates, so agreements can be made by the end of 2010. These include how to reduce emissions from deforestation by offering incentives to developing countries to protect forests, and how to finance reduced emissions from developing countries.
We also want to see clear plans on how to close the “gigatonne gap” – the huge disparity between the emissions cuts countries agreed at Copenhagen and the much larger cuts actually needed to slow climate change.
We’ll be at the Bonn conference, running a series of events to keep up the pressure on negotiators.
Funding
Heads of state are due to discuss financing the fight against climate change at the G8 and G20 summits at the end of the month. They will look at new ways of funding the lowering of carbon emissions, such as levies on emissions from shipping and aviation and subsidising low-carbon energy technologies instead of polluting fossil fuels.
“Using the G8 and G20 to mobilise funds for development and the Bonn talks to sort out building blocks for a climate agreement will help to instil the atmosphere of trust within the international community, which got lost during Copenhagen last December,” said Norman.
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Keep up the good work.
Cathy