Peter Labeja
Bonn, Germany - June 15, 2014:
As the UN climate negotiations in Bonn come to a close today, Climate
Action Network members have cautiously welcomed the slow drumbeat
building towards the international agreement due to be signed in Paris
at the end of next year.
Countries have agreed to further flesh out the content of 2015 agreement
by the next session in October where negotiations must kick up a gear
in order to stay on track. The co-chairs of the negotiations on the
Paris agreement said they would issue a new informal text by July 15 and more than 60 countries announced their support for a phase out of carbon pollution in line with CAN's own long term vision.
This momentum around the international climate agreement was matched
with good news from the capitals - going into the negotiations, leading
emitters such as the US and China, among other countries, gave strong
political signals on climate action, announced plans to reduce emissions
and introduced new plans to scale up renewable energy.
Martin Kaiser, Head of International Climate Politics, Greenpeace said:
“It’s a real breakthrough that almost one third of the world’s
governments acknowledge that we have to switch from fossil fuels to
clean energy in the space of one human generation. Governments can and
must now act at the national and international level to make the big
transformation happen and to switch to clean energy from sun and wind."
Though the progress here in Bonn by negotiators was heartening, there’s
not enough on the table. Heads of Government to get involved to make
the tough choices negotiators can’t
At the UNSG's Climate Summit in September, Heads of Government can roll
out new renewable energy plans and end subsidies for coal financing.
Key to further building momentum will be seeing leaders fulfill their
promises to put more money on the table to help poorer countries take
climate action and to commit to submit their so-called contributions to
the Paris agreement by March.
Tasneem Essop, WWF’s Head of Delegation to the UNFCCC, said:
“Nelson Mandela once said, 'it always seems impossible, until it’s
done.' So our message to governments here is that we have hard work
ahead of us. We have to see the constructive spirit of these discussions
translate into real political momentum. We have to keep our focus on
the pre-2020 period, and close the growing gap between the actions
countries have committed to and what the science tells us we need. We
have to build on the momentum we saw here in Bonn if we are so have a
successful outcome in Lima.”
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