Publication - March 24, 2009
As the reality of climate change continues to outstrip
research findings, it is becoming clear that reaching
the 'tipping point' is a far more immediate threat than
we imagined and the window of opportunity for
avoiding runaway climate change is rapidly and
inexorably closing.
Greenpeace demands for Copenhagen
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Executive summary: We now know that an increase in global temperature
of even 1.5°C could lead to irreversible impacts and
2°C risks triggering catastrophic runaway climate
change. We need a global plan that peaks global
temperature rise as soon as humanly possible and
enables us to return to well below current levels.
This year will see an intensive round of international
negotiations, culminating in the Copenhagen Climate
Change Summit in December as governments
thrash out a deal to combat climate change. This
represents the best chance we have of reversing
current emissions trends in time to prevent the
climate chaos that we are hurtling towards.
Grasping and shaping this opportunity requires
leadership of a kind we have not yet seen on climate
change. It demands that the world's heads of
government take responsibility and work together
to protect the people, the environment and the
planet that, collectively, they represent and ensure
that global greenhouse gas emissions peak by
2015, and start declining rapidly thereafter,
reaching as close to zero as possible by midcentury.
Num. pages: 7