Copenhagen Opportunity Must Not Be Wasted

Tuesday, 8 December 2009, 9:15 am
Press Release: Greenpeace New Zealand

Copenhagen Opportunity Must Not Be Wasted

Auckland Tuesday December 8 2009-

The New Zealand delegating team in Copenhagen has the chance to help shape the course of human history over the next two weeks and it must not waste it, says Greenpeace.

“The Copenhagen Climate summit offers a defining moment in our history,” said Greenpeace’s Political Advisor Geoff Keey from Copenhagen. “All the pieces of the jigsaw are there: a gathering of more than 100 Heads of State; the key elements of a legal text; more than 20,000 delegates – and a world that’s demanding action.”

Thousands of people took to the streets over the weekend in support of New Zealand doing the right thing at the talks and committing to a 40% by 2020 emissions reduction target. (1) This is what the science says developed countries like New Zealand must do if we’re to avoid catastrophe.

The New Zealand delegation has so far tabled a highly conditional target of 10-20% reductions by 2020.

Over 181,000 people have now joined the Sign On campaign (www.signon.org.nz), calling for 40% by 2020. About 4,000 of them feature today in a full-page ad in the Dominion Post newspaper. The names make up the face of John Key. (2)

“We need a fair, ambitious and legally binding agreement to come from Copenhagen,” said Keey. “At this point, political will is the only thing that’s missing, particularly on the part of countries like New Zealand. The climate change negotiations have never seen such a momentum, and it must not be wasted.”

Apart from calling on the New Zealand Government to commit to a 40% by 2020 reduction target, Greenpeace is calling on the Copenhagen Climate Summit to agree a legally binding deal which includes:

• Emissions cuts of 40% by 2020 by industrialised countries (at 1990 levels)
• $140 billion a year from the industrialised world for developing countries to deal with climate impacts, act on climate change and stop deforestation
• The end of tropical deforestation by 2020.
• Developing countries must reduce their projected emissions growth by 15-30% by 2020, with support from industrialised countries.

Full Greenpeace briefing: “Success or failure in Copenhagen” can be found at: http://www.greenpeace.org/new-zealand/press/reports/copenhagen-success-or-failure
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