Un climate talks system needs life saving surgery, Childers tells European Parliament

Posted by Bronwen Maher on January 20, 2010 at 03:39 PM

Speaking in the European Parliament in Strasbourg today (Wednesday, 20th January), Labour MEP Nessa Childers said that the UN climate talks system “needs life-saving surgery before the next round of negotiations in Mexico.”
 
A member of the Parliament’s Environment Committee, Childers said, “I attended the Copenhagen summit and on the basis of what I experienced, I am right to be concerned about how easy it was for the US, China and others to circumvent the UN structure, sideline the EU and agree an arrangement which fell far short of global expectations.
 
“One thing is crystal clear to me – the UN climate talks system needs life-saving surgery before Mexico. To borrow a phrase, there truly was ‘something rotten in the State of Denmark’ last December. Copenhagen was a both political failure and an organisational fiasco.”
 
Nessa Childers told the European Parliament, “Its organisation by the UN and its Danish hosts was derisory, and contributed to a negative atmosphere from the beginning. At one side of the table President Obama was hamstrung by domestic commitments, while on the other China was semi-detached and participated in name but not in action.
 
“The irony of the situation is this. The longer the US, China and others frustrate, delay and prevaricate on a deal the tougher the targets for reduction will, of necessity, become.
 
“As far as I am concerned, the EU and this Parliament needs to honestly examine how it approaches international talks of this magnitude in the future. Europe must be much more assertive in standing up for itself and in doing so should continue to set ambitious targets for itself involving targets in emissions reductions of 30%.
 
“The COP15 forum provided the EU with an opportunity to assert its new 'Lisbon Treaty' credentials. However it made little impact in its efforts to lead the rest of the world. It now needs to seriously reassess how it approaches such occasions.
 
“Luckily opportunities still exist, not least in the global race to become a leading 21st Century green economy. Action in this regard and a fresh approach will provide an important impetus approaching the next round of climate talks in Mexico later this year.”

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