UN Secretary-General pushes global climate change agenda

New York, United States – Participants attending a high-level climate change summit at the United Nations declared that an ambitious comprehensive climate agreement will be negotiated within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change — building on the Kyoto Protocol — by no later than 2009.

“World leaders today united under the UN banner and declared a stop to dangerous climate change by agreeing to negotiate deep cuts in carbon emissions" said Hans Verolme, Director of WWF’s Global Climate Change Programme.

Convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, the summit brought together more than 70 heads of state — a watershed moment in the global climate debate.

“The UN Secretary-General has effectively called for an end of the fossil-fuel age by mid-century,“ Verolme added. ”We congratulate Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon for this show of real climate leadership"

Several countries spoke about the ravages of extreme weather and climate change. Economic assessments indicate that the benefits of early action on climate change greatly exceed the cost of reducing emissions.

“The unvarnished truth is that climate change is here,” Verolme said. “The impending climate catastrophe could cripple economies and devastate livelihoods, so striking a new global climate deal that will promote investment in clean technologies is a top priority.”

Overwhelming support for the launch of negotiations at a climate change meeting scheduled for December in Bali, Indonesia, marks an important step in UN history.