UN urges progress against global warming at climate conference

Lima, Dec 10: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged countries attending a climate conference in Peru's capital Lima for a "balanced, well-structured and coherent draft text" of an agreement envisaged for 2015.

Addressing the 20th Conference of Parties (COP20) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Ban Tuesday called on participants to work to reach a consensus on a draft document that can serve as the basis for a climate deal in 2015, Xinuha reported.

"We must deliver here in Lima a balanced, well-structured and coherent draft text for the 2015 agreement that provides a clear and solid foundation for negotiations next year in Paris," said Ban, referring to next year's COP21.

Stressing the urgency of taking measures now to combat climate change, Ban said "this is not a time for tinkering, it is a time for transformation."

The climate conference, launched on Dec 1 and set to conclude Friday, brings together 11,500 delegates from 194 countries, including 230 environment ministers, to devise a universal treaty which, according to the UN, could be put into effect by 2020.

All sectors of the society must participate in the fight against global warming for measures to be effective, from governments to large corporations and individuals, said Ban.

Ban warned that collective action has so far fallen short, but "the recent joint announcement by the United States and China, the European Union's energy and climate goals for 2030, and the commitment recently announced by Germany, provide a basis for striving for more ambitious" goals.

Ban underscored the progress made so far at the conference, including the pledge of up to 10 billion U.S. dollars in funding for the Green Climate Fund.

He also called on countries to determine a way to reach the 100 billion dollars needed by 2020 to help developing countries fight climate change.

IANS