Copenhagen – Denmark: Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF Global Climate Initiative
“They tell us it’s over but it’s not. Copenhagen produced a snapshot of what leaders already promised before they arrived here.
“The biggest challenge, turning the political will into a legally binding agreement has moved to Mexico.
“After years of negotiations we now have a declaration of will which does not bind anyone and therefore fails to guarantee a safer future for next generations.
“What was good about Copenhagen was the level of national pledges for climate action in most countries.
“Politically, we live in a world that agrees to stay below the danger zone of two degrees but practically what we have on the table adds up to 3 degrees or more.
“Such a gap between the rhetoric and reality could cost millions of lives, hundreds of billions of dollars and a wealth of lost opportunities.
“We are disappointed but remain hopeful. Civil society will continue watching every step of further negotiations. The leaders have to get back to work tomorrow.
“Getting a strong outcome of the follow-up process will take a lot of rbidge- building between rich and poor countries. We expect that the Mexican hosts will be ideally placed to play that role.”
More information
Jonathon Larkin, WWF Media Officer, WWF-Australia,
Mobile: 0410 221 410
Email: [email protected]
Natalia Reiter, [email protected], + 41 798 738 099