"The planet cannot afford the US administration downplaying the significance of the Copenhagen climate summit. President Obama and other world leaders need to go to Copenhagen and take personal responsibility for its success, in order to achieve an agreement to avert catastrophic climate change," said Martin Kaiser, Greenpeace International climate political adviser.
"They need to agree a legally binding protocol that will shift economies towards low carbon development and not shift responsibility on to another level of talks. Copenhagen is the marker of climate success or climate failure, not a marker on the way to more meetings about meetings," said Kaiser.
With the US's failure to take the lead on adequate climate action at the international level, it has passed the baton to the EU.
"Brown, Merkel, Sarkozy and other EU leaders must make the difference now. They need to show the developing world they mean business and will not fail the planet. They need to commit to urgently needed emissions cuts and agree funding for developing world action on adaptation, green development and funding forest protection and move climate talks forward," Kaiser said. "In taking the lead, the EU needs to drag the US back to the realm of reality."
The EU will meet from tomorrow for a week to decide its Copenhagen position. (1) It must show that it will push for a fair, binding and ambitious deal at Copenhagen that includes:
• Emissions cuts of at least 40% by 2020 at 1990 levels from the developed world;
• Developing countries reduce projected emissions growth by 15-30% by 2020, with support from industrialised countries;
• An end to tropical deforestation by 2020 including a global forest fund;
• At least US$140 billion annually from industrialised countries to support adaptation; mitigation and forest protection in the developing world.
CONTACTS:
Beth Herzfeld, Greenpeace International communications, tel: +44 (0)7717 802 891
Martin Kaiser, Greenpeace International climate political adviser, tel: +49 1718 780 817
NOTES TO EDITORS:
(1) Immediately after the MEF the EU is holding high-level meetings to decide its position for Copenhagen beginning with 20 October - Finance Ministers; 21 October Environment Ministers and 29-30 EU Heads of State.