Climate: the surge of ambition that our planet needs

Editorial comment: Nicolas Hulot's appeal to the people (below) to back up his efforts to get France to become a leader in the fight for a reduction in greenhouse gases seems to have fallen on deaf ears. The following report from Reuters makes our hopes seem unfounded that such a thing might possibly happen. Our Prime Minister, François Hollande, after all, has taken no steps to make the world believe that he is a leftist, and certainly not a socialist.

Nina Chestney and Megan Rowling sum up their negative feelings about the ongoing conference on the world climate crisis. - SON

Heading towards a failure of the summit on the climate in Warsaw

WARSAW (Reuters) - Failure threatens the UN conference on Climate Change, which ends on Friday in Warsaw, due to differences on setting goals for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and financing aid to poor countries.

Delegations from 195 countries were laying the foundations for a new global climate pact that was supposed to be agreed on at the conference in Paris in December 2015 and come into force after 2020.

But very few concrete measures have emerged from two weeks of discussions in the Polish capital.

"The talks in Warsaw, which would have constituted a major step forward , (...) are about to give birth to almost nothing," noted the principal Chinese negotiator Su Wei.

On the eve of the conclusion of the work, some 800 representatives of 13 associations for the defense of the environment, including Greenpeace and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), slammed the door to the debates in sign of their exasperation when facing the blocking of the debates [by the profiteers of high green gas emissions, including governments who have sold out to the multinational corporations –SON].

The work could however continue throughout the night from Friday to Saturday.

"HISTORICAL" POLLUTERS

It was originally hoped that the conference would at least lead to a calendar to define reduction pledges of greenhouse gas emissions and ambitious funding in time for Paris in 2015. But the selection of subjects and their wording proved to be politically very sensitive.

Industrialized countries want to focus on goals concerning greenhouse gas emissions while southern nations argue that the rich countries, being the first "historic" polluters must lead by example in determining goals and fund most of the "invoice".
…
Thursday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged the world leaders to commit themselves "boldly" to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions at the summit he will chair on September 23, 2014.

Article in full here
(Translation from French by Siv O'Neall)

Climate: the surge of ambition that our planet needs (by Nicolas Hulot)

If the European Commission does not make the right decision in the coming days, the global climate agreement that the world needs could become a distant dream and our children may face increasingly ruthless storms, ever more floods and increasingly disastrous harvests. We do not have the right to resign ourselves to that kind of scenario.

During the previous elections Europe had presented ambitious proposals for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, renewable energy development and energy efficiency. At a time when France, an EU Member State, is preparing to host the next global climate conference, to now show a lowering of ambition would send a disastrous signal to the rest of the world. It would severely affect the expected success in 2015 and we would fatally lose a new opportunity to save our planet.

There is no planet B. So I call for a surge of ambition and I need you. Send a message to the President of the European Commission telling him that he must assume his responsibilities. Our future is at stake and of course that of our children!

According to scientists, we need a goal of a 50 % reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases to unlock the investment needed to shift to a decarbonized economy, which would offer increased job opportunities through innovation and transition. This is also the minimum necessary to bring other countries to the negotiating table for an ambitious agreement for the planet at the summit in 2015.

Six countries have written to the Commission to request ambitious goals for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, but it is not enough in a Europe of 28 members. Thus the President of the European Commission does not feel the pressure required to develop an ambitious strategy – he is tempted by a soft consensus, already anticipating the unraveling by member countries. That's without counting on the mobilization of French and European citizens!

The rest of the story depends on the objectives that the Commission will propose. Everything will be decided in the coming days: we must get President Barroso to maintain and improve positions previously adopted! Send a personal message to the President and spread the word widely.

For over 25 years , I have constantly been warning about the state of our planet and mobilizing for the right decisions to be taken. Today, as the Special Envoy of the President of the Republic for the protection of the planet, I need all of you to call for a surge of ambition and action that might save our planet.

With hope and determination,

Nicolas Hulot, Special Envoy of the President of the Republic

Translation from French by Siv O'Neall

Source: Cyberacteurs