President Obama spoke on the last day of the UN Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen, reminding the largest ever gathering on climate change that there would be dire consequences for the world if there is failure to find compromise and risk arising from the devastating effects of the climate crisis.
In his statement Obama noted that, as the world largest economy and second largest emitter of greenhouse gases, the U.S. has a responsibility to take action toward moving to a green economy, but he wared that, “we will be stronger if we act together,” he said.
Obama put forward a clear framework for an agreement: mitigation, transparency and financing – “a clear formula- one that embraces the principle of common by differentiated responses and respective capabilities”, Obama said.
The U.S. President implored other heads of state and government to “choose action over inaction” and to meet “our responsibility to our people and to the future of our planet”.
The two-week Climate Change Conference now into its last day has proven to be quite contentious.
Many observers do not anticipate that, an agreement on emissions targets and deadlines, financing, monitoring, reporting and verification of green house gas reductions and the maximum global average temperature rise (2 degrees Celsius or 1.5 degrees Celsius), would be reached between rich and poor countries by conference end. Instead, more realistically, the most that can be expected is a political agreement, with a commitment to continue negotiating details, following conclusion of the meeting.
In this sense then, Obama’s call for collective climate action might have fallen on deaf ears.
Source: en.cop15.dk/
