New carbon cuts proposed by US President Obama could offer much-needed momentum to UN climate talks taking place in Bonn this week. That’s the view of the UN’s leading climate official, Christiana Figueres, who needs the world’s top economies on board for a global emissions reduction deal to work. “The decision by President Obama to launch plans to more tightly regulate … [Read more...]
Fossil fuel companies should drive investments in renewables and CCS
The UN’s climate chief has appealed to the oil and gas industry to become the solution rather than the problem to addressing the causes of global warming. In a speech at the London headquarters of IPIECA, the industry’s association for environmental and social issues, Christiana Figueres said she wanted fossil fuel companies to drive investments in renewables and … [Read more...]
Countries gather in Bonn on road to climate deal
Climate change negotiators representing 200 countries yesterday kicked off the latest round of negotiations in what will be a make or break year for efforts to deliver a global agreement to tackle climate change at the Paris Summit in late 2015. United Nations climate envoys met in Bonn, Germany for the first negotiating session of 2014 for the Durban Platform for Enhanced … [Read more...]
UN Climate Talks Resume in Bonn
United Nations climate negotiations have resumed for a week-long session in Bonn, Germany, from 4 March to 10 March. Last November's annual UN Climate Summit in Warsaw, Poland, ended with weak and vague decisions. The lack of leadership from developed countries, and the backward moves by governments like Australia and Japan, led to an unprecedented walk out by civil … [Read more...]
Cost of climate change high on Davos agenda
From within the Davos Congress Center, you can see skiers racing down the slopes outside of the World Economic Forum. Looking at the snow outside, some participants might wonder why there's so much talk about global warming. Not so Christiana Figueres. Standing in the snow, the UN climate chief said she is pleased the topic is so high on the agenda at Davos. "The risk of … [Read more...]
Second meeting of new Technology Mechanism’s policy kicks off
"Technology is vital for developing countries to both curb their emissions and to build more climate-resilient societies," said Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC. "This meeting is an important next step towards ensuring that the Mechanism becomes fully operational this year and begins delivering concrete results,” she said. The second meeting of the … [Read more...]
COP17: COPpuccino videos
COP17: The Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leadership (CPSL) is running a series of high-level briefings at their Oasis of Fresh Thinking with people who will be commenting on the negotiations as they unfold and giving a business perspective on the leadership challenges for businesses in the sustainability arena. Among others, there are videos of Christiana Figueres - … [Read more...]
Durban kicks off to “save tomorrow today”
Against a background of record greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere, more frequent and intense extreme weather events, but also growing momentum for action to fight climate change, the UN Climate Change Conference in Durban (28 November to 9 December) kicked off today. At the start of the conference, South African President Jacob Zuma pointed to the climate impacts in … [Read more...]
COP17 Climate Train arrives in Durban
The COP17 Climate Train was today welcomed in Durban with a fanfare and a range of dignitaries Including National Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) executive secretary Christiana Figueres and chief of the COP17 negotiations and EThekwini Speaker Rogie Naidoo. Brass bands, Zulu dancers, diplomats, learners and prominent members of civil society rubbed shoulders … [Read more...]
More climate action needed at durban
Governments recognize that they need to speed up and scale up their efforts to combat climate change and they know that negotiations this week in Panama are important to prepare the ground for the next successful step towards that goal in Durban, the UN climate change chief said. 'During this year, governments have been steadily building the pillars that will support the … [Read more...]
