Press release - December 3, 2011
“This is not a dress rehearsal, a week of belligerence, bickering and backstabbing needs to now give way to real deals about the future of our planet. Those who are not interested in saving lives, economies and environments, like the US, must now stand aside and let those with the political will move forward,” said Kumi Naidoo, International Executive Director, Greenpeace International.
This draft of part of the final agreement is long on pages and short on definition. A week may be a long time in politics but it far too short for the task ahead.
By the end of next week Governments need to:
• Ensure a peak in global greenhouse gas emissions by 2015
• Ensure that the Kyoto Protocol continues and provide a mandate for a comprehensive legally binding instrument
• Deliver the necessary finance to tackle climate change
• Set up a framework for protecting forests in developing countries
• Ensure global cooperation on technology and energy finance
• Ensure international transparency in assessing and monitoring country commitments and actions
“Protecting vulnerable communities, countries and habitats costs money, that money was to be put on the table here in Durban, but so far we don’t even know where the money will come from. There is a real risk we walk away from durban with empty pockets. And that failure will be measured in lives, economies and habitats,” said Tove Ryding, Greenpeace Co-ordinator for climate policy.
If Governments don’t move on without the US the final agreement will be stripped of any possibility of protecting the climate.
Greenpeace International in Durban:
Media: Susan Cavanagh +27 (0)76 5400493
Events media: Szabina Mozes +27 (0)763799990
For interviews with Kumi Naidoo: Omer Elnaiem +27 (0)727202308
For Photo/video throughout the meeting: Maarten van Rouveroy +27 (0)713264981
All Greenpeace information and background on Durban, including press releases, can be found here: http://www.greenpeace.org/