By RTCC Staff
(Source: UN)
The UN Secretary General has urged world leaders to commit to the multi-billion dollar Green Climate Fund, ahead of the COP17 Climate Conference, in Durban.
Speaking at the “Climate Vulnerable Forum” held in Bangladesh (14-15 Nov) – a country he believes is becoming a world leader in disaster preparedness – he said the “measure of any society is how well it looks after its most vulnerable [citizens].
“Governments must lead the way to catalyse the $100 billion per annum from public and private sources that was pledged to 2020,” he said. “One way for governments to do so will be to launch the Green Climate Fund agreed last year in Cancun.
“The fund needs to be launched in Durban. An empty shell is not sufficient. Governments must find ways – now – to mobilise resources up to $100 billion per annum pledged. This is the message I am taking to Durban.”
The “Climate Vulnerable Forum” will see representatives from 30 countries meet for two days to design a united stand ahead of the UN Climate Summit in Durban, where the Green Climate Fund will be negotiated.
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the forum was in response to the fact that the international climate negotiations were very “slow and inadequate”.
Ban believes adaptation will be a necessity for many of these countries at the forum in the future.
He said: “As the IPCC has pointed out, it is imperative that global greenhouse gas emission peak within this decade. Yet Carbon emissions in 2010 were the highest in history. Just last week the International Energy Agency released a report saying we are close to point of no return for staying under two degrees temperature rises.
“If we keep adding fossil fuel-based infrastructure, we will forever lose the chance to avoid dangerous climate change. Climate impacts will be with us for decades to come as a result of emissions released today.”