UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon addressing the opening session of the COP18/CMP8 Plenary Session of High-Level Segment at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha yesterday. Pictures: Salim Matramkot
DOHA: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on COP18/CMP8 member countries to take up collective responsibilities in delivering the key five-point commitments at the Doha summit.
Addressing the opening session of the high-level segment at COP18/CMP8 here yesterday, the UN chief said the Kyoto Protocol must continue. It is a foundation to build on. Its continuation on January 1, 2013 would show that governments remain committed to a more robust climate regime.
The UN chief said: “This week, I hope for five key deliverables by governments: First, the adoption of a rectifiable second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol. The Kyoto Protocol remains the closest we have to a global, binding climate agreement. It must continue. It is a foundation to build on. It has important institutions, including accounting and legal systems, and the framework that markets sorely need. Its continuation on January 1, 2013 would show that governments remain committed to a more robust climate regime.”
“Second, progress on long-term climate finance. This is critical to a meaningful climate agreement. Fast-start finance expires soon. Developed countries must give clear indication that scaled-up climate financing will flow after 2012, and that it will be commensurate to the goal of $100bn a year by 2020 from public and private funding.”
“Third, We must ensure that the institutions set up in Cancun and Durban to support mitigation and adaptation by developing countries- including the Green Climate Fund and the Climate Technology Center and Network are fully equipped and effective.
Fourth, I expected governments to demonstrate, with no ambiguity, that negotiations on a global and legally binding instrument remain on track. And Fifth, governments need to show how they; intend to act on the gap between mitigation pledges and what is required to achieve the 2 degrees target. The gap can be bridged, But time is not on our side.”
The secretary-general noted all regions have a role to play in solving the climate crisis.“Let us be under no illusion. This is a crisis. A threat to us all. Our economies, security and the well-being of our children and those who will come after. The danger signs are all around”, he said.
One third of the world’s population lives in countries with moderate to high water stress. Land degradation affects 1.5bn people. Icecaps are showing unprecedented melting; permafrost is thawing; sea levels are rising.
From the United States to India, from Ukraine to Brazil, drought decimated essential global crops. Across the Sahel, from Mali to the Horn of Africa, tens of millions of people endured another year of vulnerability, at the mercy of the slightest climate shock.
“No-one is immune to climate change — rich or poor. It is an existential challenge for the whole human race — our way of life, our plans for the future. We must take ownership. We, collectively, are the problem.” The UN Chief said we are in a race against time to stay below the agreed threshold of 2 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels that will avoid the worst impacts of climate change.
Every delay means greater future effort — or greater future harm. But we have the resources — financial and technological — to rise to the challenge. Acting now makes better economic sense than allowing further delay. But the pace and scale of action are still not yet enough.We have a responsibility here in Doha to sustain the momentum for change so painstakingly built in Bali, Poznan, Copenhagen, Cancun and Durban. We need to speed up the transformation and act even as negotiations continue toward a more robust climate regime. Let us abandon apathy and embrace ambition..., he said.
The Peninsula
