Chief of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres (Photo via Flickr / UNclimatechange / Creative Commons License)
Jun 03, 2013
Concerned over the sharp rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, UN delegates launched a new round of climate talks this week, in which they conferred over the 'urgent' action needed in order to curb climate change.
"I do not need to remind you that we simply cannot afford not to deliver implementation results urgently," Chief of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres told fellow delegates.
The 12-day talks in Bonn, Germany are aimed to develop a new international framework to reduce greenhouse gasses that will be the foundation of a treaty that will be presented to the COP 19 conference in Warsaw in November.
Sparking Figueres' urgency is the discovery by scientists last month that the atmosphere has surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm) of CO2--well over the 350 ppm threshold climate scientists have urged the world to heed.
Agence France-Pressereports:
After discussions among two technical bodies on Monday, the talks get down to tougher business on Tuesday.
They will try to flesh out commitments for the deal, expected to be signed in late 2015, and to beef up action in the years before the pact takes effect in 2020.
The negotiations lead up to the UNFCCC's annual minister-level talks, which this year will take place in Warsaw from November 11 to 22.
Political interest on tackling climate change at a global level peaked in the runup to the 2009 Copenhagen Summit.
But the low-level compromise that was brokered there, amid scenes of chaos and finger-pointing, has dashed expectations that the UN forum can do very much.
However, Greenpeace chief Kumi Naidoo warned not to put too much faith in the UN on climate, adding that he had "no reason to have even any sense of optimism" that anything has changed since the last UNFCCC meeting failed in in Doha, Qatar last December.
"The UN negotiating system is cumbersome, it is problematic, it is tedious. However, the UN, warts and all, is the best and only vehicle we have to ensure we can move forward as a united global family to address climate change."
_____________________
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Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Concerned over the sharp rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, UN delegates launched a new round of climate talks this week, in which they conferred over the 'urgent' action needed in order to curb climate change.
"I do not need to remind you that we simply cannot afford not to deliver implementation results urgently," Chief of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres told fellow delegates.
The 12-day talks in Bonn, Germany are aimed to develop a new international framework to reduce greenhouse gasses that will be the foundation of a treaty that will be presented to the COP 19 conference in Warsaw in November.
Sparking Figueres' urgency is the discovery by scientists last month that the atmosphere has surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm) of CO2--well over the 350 ppm threshold climate scientists have urged the world to heed.
Agence France-Pressereports:
After discussions among two technical bodies on Monday, the talks get down to tougher business on Tuesday.
They will try to flesh out commitments for the deal, expected to be signed in late 2015, and to beef up action in the years before the pact takes effect in 2020.
The negotiations lead up to the UNFCCC's annual minister-level talks, which this year will take place in Warsaw from November 11 to 22.
Political interest on tackling climate change at a global level peaked in the runup to the 2009 Copenhagen Summit.
But the low-level compromise that was brokered there, amid scenes of chaos and finger-pointing, has dashed expectations that the UN forum can do very much.
However, Greenpeace chief Kumi Naidoo warned not to put too much faith in the UN on climate, adding that he had "no reason to have even any sense of optimism" that anything has changed since the last UNFCCC meeting failed in in Doha, Qatar last December.
"The UN negotiating system is cumbersome, it is problematic, it is tedious. However, the UN, warts and all, is the best and only vehicle we have to ensure we can move forward as a united global family to address climate change."
_____________________
Jacob Chamberlain
Jacob Chamberlain is a former staff writer for Common Dreams. His website is www.jacobpchamberlain.com.
Concerned over the sharp rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, UN delegates launched a new round of climate talks this week, in which they conferred over the 'urgent' action needed in order to curb climate change.
"I do not need to remind you that we simply cannot afford not to deliver implementation results urgently," Chief of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Christiana Figueres told fellow delegates.
The 12-day talks in Bonn, Germany are aimed to develop a new international framework to reduce greenhouse gasses that will be the foundation of a treaty that will be presented to the COP 19 conference in Warsaw in November.
Sparking Figueres' urgency is the discovery by scientists last month that the atmosphere has surpassed 400 parts per million (ppm) of CO2--well over the 350 ppm threshold climate scientists have urged the world to heed.
Agence France-Pressereports:
After discussions among two technical bodies on Monday, the talks get down to tougher business on Tuesday.
They will try to flesh out commitments for the deal, expected to be signed in late 2015, and to beef up action in the years before the pact takes effect in 2020.
The negotiations lead up to the UNFCCC's annual minister-level talks, which this year will take place in Warsaw from November 11 to 22.
Political interest on tackling climate change at a global level peaked in the runup to the 2009 Copenhagen Summit.
But the low-level compromise that was brokered there, amid scenes of chaos and finger-pointing, has dashed expectations that the UN forum can do very much.
However, Greenpeace chief Kumi Naidoo warned not to put too much faith in the UN on climate, adding that he had "no reason to have even any sense of optimism" that anything has changed since the last UNFCCC meeting failed in in Doha, Qatar last December.
"The UN negotiating system is cumbersome, it is problematic, it is tedious. However, the UN, warts and all, is the best and only vehicle we have to ensure we can move forward as a united global family to address climate change."
_____________________
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