UN urges leaders to make progress at Climate Change Talks

(Dec. 07, 2011) United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged countries not to lose momentum and show determined leadership to advance negotiations at the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, as States entered their first day of high-level talks. “The world is looking to you for leadership,” Ban told participants at the 17th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), where thousands of representatives from governments, international organization and civil society have gathered to advance ways to cut global carbon emissions. Ban said “The world and its people cannot accept ‘no’ for an answer in Durban,. Let us find the will to lead, despite the many difficulties. Let us prove that we not only know where we are going – and how to get there – but that we are prepared to take collective action that will move us down that road. Ban stressed the urgency of the moment, reminding countries that “time is not on our side,” and that they must act before reaching a point of no return. “The science is clear,” he said, citing reports by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) which state that carbon emissions are at their highest levels in history, and that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions must be reduced by half by 2050 to avert irreversible consequences.
Ban acknowledged the current strain in the global economic situation, but underscored that while countries need to be realistic about their expectations, they must also be ambitious, as the health of the global economy, the livelihoods of millions of people, and the survival of some nations are all affected by the impact of climate change. We must be realistic about expectations for a breakthrough in Durban,” he said. “We know the reasons: grave economic troubles in many countries, abiding political differences, conflicting priorities and strategies for responding to climate change. Yet let me emphasize: none of these uncertainties should prevent us from making real progress here in Durban.”