Brussels, 31/08/2012 (Agence Europe) - Expectations are high for the UN session of informal talks on the climate which began in Bangkok on 30 August (see EUROPE 10677) for preparing decisions of the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP 18, Doha, 26 November - 7 December) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the Framework Convention, reminded participants of their commitments while NGOs set out their priorities.
“Governments have promised to cut greenhouse gas emissions and help the poor and vulnerable adapt to climate change. They know they must implement these promises fully, raise their efforts before 2020 and redouble those efforts again after 2020. Soon, in Doha, they must show implementation and set the pace towards adopting a new, universal climate agreement by 2015. The next three years are set to drive the next two decades of the international response to climate change”, Figueres said.
CAN Europe (Climate Action Network), a global network of over 700 NGOs from more than 90 countries working to promote action to limit climate change to ecologically sustainable levels, believes three priority areas need to be discussed in Bangkok. These are: 1) set expectations for concrete outcomes at COP 18 in Doha, especially in terms of agreeing a second commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol; 2) establish a work plan with key milestones for the Durban Platform negotiation track, especially in relation to increasing level of short-term mitigation ambition; and 3) identify elements that need to be finalised or moved under the long-term cooperation action (LCA) track so that it would close in Doha. (AN/transl.jl)