World leaders gather at United Nations Headquarters to mobilize political momentum to meet climate change challenge
Barack Obama speaks during a summit on climate change at the United Nations in New York. Photograph: Mike Segar/Reuters (Source: guardian.co.uk)
Nearly 100 world leaders have accepted United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s invitation to participate in a historic summit on climate change to mobilize political will and strengthen momentum for a fair, effective and ambitious climate deal in Copenhagen.
According to Secretary-General Ban, the purpose of the Summit is to focus minds and generate urgent action at the highest levels. “This year we have an unprecedented opportunity to prevent climate change from slipping out of control and to jumpstart the transformation to a safer, cleaner, more prosperous green economy that benefits all,” he said.
The participation of leadership at the level of Head of State from all countries -– industrialized and developing nations, and newly emerging economies on the front lines of climate change impacts -- is crucial to realizing this achievement.
Climate change cuts across all issues -– from energy and food security to trade, finance and international security. Its effects will fundamentally shape the economic growth, development and security of every country in the world, requiring strategic focus at the highest political level.
The Summit will provide this opportunity by mobilizing the political momentum needed to help the world cross the finish line in Copenhagen, where representatives from 193 parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will gather in December to negotiate a climate agreement for the post-2012 period.
“I hope world leaders will leave the Summit ready to give their negotiating teams the green light and specific guidance needed to accelerate progress on the road to Copenhagen,” said the Secretary-General. “The clock is ticking. I hope they will publicly commit to sealing a deal in Copenhagen,” he said.
Negotiations on an agreement for the Copenhagen conference have made some progress, but require immediate political impetus if the world is to seal a global climate deal this year.
While not a negotiating session, today’s summit at Headquarters will seek to find a common understanding among the leaders on a path forward. This understanding will be captured in a Chairman’s summary, to be presented by the Secretary-General at the Summit’s conclusion.
Statements from national leaders will be available online at the Summit website (www.un.org/climatechange/2009summit).
The United Nations will offset participants’ travel by purchasing carbon emission credits from the Clean Development Mechanism, an innovative tool that directs investment in clean technologies to developing countries. The Summit’s emissions will be offset by investments in a project in a poor semi-arid region in Kolar district, Karnataka state, India, seeking to reduce deforestation and provide clean energy for cooking.
