AIT along with University of California,
Berkeley, Universal Postal Union, the International Union of Railways
and Japan Airlines have joined the UN Climate Neutral Network. The UN
News Centre highlighted this in an article today. The article can he
accessed at this
website.
The article has been reproduced at Media Newswire as well.
succeeded in spotlighting urgency of action, says
official
23 September 2009 – The United Nations climate change summit convened
by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon succeeded in mobilizing political will
ahead of a major conference later this year by focusing the attention
of world leaders on the urgent need for action on global warming, a
senior official said today.
Yesterday’s summit was the largest-ever high-level gathering on the
issue – attended by over 100 world leaders – and was part of Mr. Ban’s
efforts to mobilize momentum as governments work to 'seal the deal' on
an ambitious new agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions at the UN
climate change conference to be held in December in Copenhagen,
Denmark.
“I think it’s safe to say we achieved our goals,” Robert Orr,
Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Planning, told a news
conference. “The summit did, most certainly, mobilize significant
political will at the highest level and it did focus heads of State and
government on the urgency for action.”
The summit also succeeded in accomplishing another major goal, he
said, noting that “there was a serious and sustained dialogue between
the most vulnerable and the major economies.
“It was very striking how much the leaders agreed that they need to
agree and can agree in Copenhagen. This was an important recognition by
all the leaders present that a deal was possible and that they are
going to work very hard to achieve it.”
In addition, a number of important announcements were made, including
by Japan, which pledged to slash their emissions by 25 per cent by
2020, and Maldives, which said it intends to become climate-neutral by
2020.
“One of the biggest outcomes of the day was that financing finally
took centre stage,” added Mr. Orr, noting that financing is the sine
qua non of getting a successful deal in Copenhagen.
He drew attention to a proposal put on the table yesterday for
supporting a minimum of $100 billion per annum over the next decade,
which many leaders rallied around.
Janos Pasztor, Director of the Secretary-General’s Climate Change
Support Team, noted that at the working dinner hosted by Mr. Ban last
night, leaders expressed a very clear willingness to work together and
to make sure that they break the deadlock of trust between them.
“They know that the trust that is not there is stopping them from
agreeing on many of the core political issues that have been discussed
now for some time.
“They also discussed that they are willing to do much more than what
they have been willing to agree to do in the context of the
negotiations. That is an optimistic sign that agreement will be
possible in Copenhagen,” he added.
In addition, the leaders said they were prepared to come together
again before Copenhagen, depending on how negotiations go, with the
Secretary-General stating that he is prepared to convene such a
meeting, if desired.
In a related development, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today
announced that a number of groups – from cities and railways to postal
services, industry and civil society organizations – have pledged to
significantly reduce their carbon footprint and promote greener living
by joining the UN Climate Neutral Network.
“The growth of the climate neutral movement around the world is a
clear sign that people from all walks of life are committed to solving
the climate crisis and bringing about low-carbon economies and
societies,” said UNEP Executive Director-General Achim Steiner.
“This groundswell of public support comes just weeks ahead of the
crucial UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, where world leaders
will have a unique opportunity to move our economies and societies onto
a greener development path,” he added.
Launched in 2008, the UNEP-led Network has close to 100 participants
worldwide, including several countries, cities, major international
companies, UN agencies and leading non-governmental organizations
(NGOs).
Among the new groups joining forces with the Network are the
University of California, Berkeley, and the Asian Institute of
Technology (AIT) located in Bangkok, Thailand, as well as the
Universal Postal Union, the International Union of Railways and Japan
Airlines.
Also today, Mr. Ban paid tribute his Special Envoy on climate change
and the former President of Botswana, Festus Mogae, on receiving the
African Heritage Award.
“I am particularly grateful to President Mogae for his passionate
efforts to mobilize international action on climate change, one of the
leading global challenges of our times. As he has rightly said, ‘The
stakes could not be higher.’”