News | Climate Change

http://english.cri.cn/6966/2011/04/04/2743s630288.htm

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres on Monday called on governments to ensure that the works decided in Cancun will be effective in 2012 and some shortfalls will be addressed in order to make progress in curbing climate change.

"Governments have early opportunity here in Bangkok to push ahead to complete the works that they agreed in Cancun. If they move forward in the continued spirit of flexibility and compromise that inspired them in Cancun, I am confident that they would be able to make significant new progress this year," Figueres said in a press conference at the first UN climate change negotiating session of the year.
She said that in Cancun governments set a timetable to launch new institutions and sources of funding and technology to help developing countries deal comprehensively and sustainably with climate change and this is exactly what is needed to be rapidly addressed at Bangkok meeting.
The institutions include a Green Climate Fund to house the international management, deployment and accountability of long- term funds for developing country support; a Technology Mechanism to promote clean technologies; and an Adaptation Framework to boost international cooperation to help developing countries protect themselves from climate change impacts.
"Countries have formerly pushed forward their national plan to cut the green house gas emission but some of these efforts to fall short of the required long-term efforts," she added.
She said that a government has two main tasks to address these shortfalls: first, they need to resolve fundamental issues over the future of the Kyoto Protocol; and second, governments need to complete the institutions they agreed in Cancun last year.
To achieve the first task, governments need to figure out how to address the issue and how to take it forward in a collective and inclusive way, she suggested.
"Resolving this will create a firmer foundation for a greater collective ambition to cut emissions," said Figueres.
Moreover, governments need to complete their agreed works to ensure the broader global climate regime which Cancun decided will be functioning and effective in 2012.
"That means delivering agreed actions and institutions on time to ensure the dead line set out in the Cancun agreement is met," according to Figueres.
Even with difficult tasks waiting ahead, the executive secretary still believed that political will of governments would finally lead to some concrete agreements.
"There is much to be done this year but I remain confident that countries with necessary political will will be able to achieve what they need this year," she concluded.
The UN climate Change Conference in Bangkok, which has been scheduled on April 3-8, is attended by around 1,500 participants from 173 countries, including government delegates, representatives from business and industry, environmental organizations and research institutions.