Jul 12 2009
Rich and poor nations have not been able to overcome divisions and mistrust during the Major Economies Forum (MEF) and the G8 summit and while some progress was made, leaders of wealthy nations failed to take responsibility for climate change, WWF said.
The two meetings saw positive developments such as a common goal to limit global average temperature increases to two degrees, an absolute minimum to avoid the worst impacts of global warming, but disappointed with the lack of ambitious reduction targets and serious financial commitments by industrialized countries.
"It’s all about money. Rich countries are telling poor nations: oh poor you. But they avoid committing to pay their fair share" said Kim Carstensen. "This is not enough and it is not fair."
"Wealthy nations have to show true empathy, real leadership, solid financial commitments and not comforting statements."
MEF requested Finance Ministers to report back at the G20 meeting in Pittsburg in September.
“We need Finance Ministers make a commitment which is at least as ambitious as what Gordon Brown proposed recently”, Carstensen said.
Brown proposed 100 billion USD per year for mitigation and adaptation. According to WWF, we need more funds up to 160 billion USD per year by 2017.
"The failure by MEF to agree on halving greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 is a sign of mistrust between developed and developing nations," Carstensen said.
During the meeting of the major economies, bringing together states responsible for approximately 80 percent of world’s emissions, some industrialized nations tried to blame emerging economies for insufficient progress.
"In order to achieve a compromise the blame game has to be abandoned and replaced by responsible and credible commitments of industrialized countries."
WWF welcomed MEF’s declarations on a two degree warming limit to and to double public funds’ for research in green technologies. It shows there is still some good will and therefore chance for agreement in Copenhagen.
"There are some signs of good will which if continued could result in an agreement. We are convinced that a deal in Copenhagen is still utterly achievable.”
"As leaders of the world's major economies, both developed and developing, we intend to respond vigorously to this challenge, being convinced that climate change poses a clear danger requiring an extraordinary global response, that the response should respect the priority of economic and social development of developing countries, that moving to a low-carbon economy is an opportunity to promote continued economic growth and sustainable development, that the need for and deployment of transformational clean energy technologies at lowest possible cost are urgent, and that the response must involve balanced attention to mitigation and adaptation," the declaration says.
"We resolve to spare no effort to reach agreement in Copenhagen, with each other and with the other Parties, to further implementation of the Convention," the Major Economies Forum added.