WWF - Copenhagen. The COP15 Media Center

Current state of talks

2009-12-18

In a summary of talks so far today in Copenhagen, Kim Carstensen, Leader of WWF's Global Climate Initiative said:

"We are seeing a number of different texts coming forward, and there will be more drafts as the day unfolds, however, nothing we have seen so far matches the level of ambition needed on the legal nature of an agreement, or the numbers required for mitigation and finance."

"The existing drafts contain vague language pointing towards the need to stay below a two degree temperature rise, however there is little in the detail that would ensure delivery on this in practise."

"Having also heard some key speeches, it's clear that there is still a real need for action. President Obama has said numerous times that all countries need to stand behind their commitments and make them transparent. That applies to the US as well. The EU appears to be weakening their conditional pledge to move to 30 per cent emissions reduction below 1990 levels, from their current position of 20 per cent, which is a real disappointment because the science clearly indicates all developed countries should be pushing for 40 per cent. We urge more progressive Member States within the EU to commit to stepping up with more ambitious targets right now."

"China needs to move forward also. There seems to be a basis for this in Wen Jiabao's speech, where he agreed to meet China's current pledges without extra money, and his indication that China might be willing to do more in terms of emissions reductions and also transparency, while India has also said they would do more if they were supported."

"Heads of State must all now take the opportunity while it still exists, to make sure that ambition within the deal is ratcheted up to a level that will ensure that they do not lock the planet on the path to a dangerous high carbon future."

"We need a definitive target year for peak and decline of emissions, clear sources for finance for mitigation and adaption in developing countries, and an agreement for a scientific review of any deal signed, by 2014."

For further information:
Ashwini Prabha
aprabha@wwfint.org
+41 79 873 80 99

Domino effect needed: world leaders can still save Copenhagen

2009-12-17

Copenhagen, Denmark - Leaders arriving to sign a Copenhagen climate agreement and finding that they now need to salvage it need to take a global rather than national approach to the numerous outstanding issues, WWF said today.

"It looks like The Copenhagen Climate Summit could have made it through the valley of death", said Kim Carstensen, Leader of WWF's Global Climate Initiative.

"It's encouraging that some new offers are starting to hit the table. Now is the time for Heads of States to show their leadership skills. We need to turn the positive dynamic into a real domino effect, so that actions by countries add up to a global effort that protects us from climate change."

Carstensen said that after days of deadlock there was renewed movement on the long term climate financing issue. If the renewed finance discussion also leads to willingness for more ambition on emissions reductions targets, there could still be a Copenhagen climate deal with some substance.

"Europe has often claimed a leadership role on climate and now is the time to exercise it," said Carstensen.

"A bold step forward on emissions cuts to 2020 – moving to at least the necessary 30% cut from 1990 levels – could be the deal making gesture the climate talks need at this point. The developing world would be able to see that some of the developed world is listening to their concerns."

Carstensen said it was welcome to hear US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton tell the Copenhagen climate conference that the US stands ready to do its fair share.

"US help in mobilising an additional $100 billion annually by 2020 to help climate change initiatives and adaptation in the developing world is also extremely welcome", Carstensen added.

However, we need to know that this is new and additional money and not a reshuffling or double counting of existing aid."

To back up the positive signals sent to the international negotiations in Copenhagen, WWF calls on President Obama to make domestic climate and clean energy legislation his top priority.

WWF hopes that positive moves by the US and the EU could also inspire China to up the ante.

"The levels and conditions of transparency of emissions cuts in the emerging economies are another sticking point in Copenhagen that's still clouded in silence" said Carstensen.

"A move from China on this highly contentious issue could break a real deadlock."

For further information:

Natalia Reiter, WWF International, nreiter@wwfint.org +41 79 873 8099

30,000 young Malagasy back strong Copenhagen deal

2009-12-17

Antananarivo, Madagascar – Malagasy youth have mobilized to draw attention to the effects of climate change in Madagascar in a first-time signature pledge.

"When we talked about climate change a few years ago, it still seemed like something abstract, happening in the major industrialized countries only," said Ralimihanta Sidonie, a pupil at St. Louis private school in Ambositra, a village situated on the plateaus of Madagascar. "Yet the changes are taking place before our very eyes in our everyday environment."

Sidonie is one of 30,000 Malagasy youth who have signed a statement delivered to the Copenhagen summit demanding a fair and binding climate deal. The signatures were collected by youth like Sidonie who are members of the Vintsy Club.

With the slogan 'To love and protect nature,' Vintsy Clubs are a key element of WWF's environmental education program in Madagascar. There are about 270 clubs in action on the big island, with each one counting about 50 members.

All on their own, the members of Vintsy clubs have managed to collect over 21,000 signatures. Since the beginning of the school year, they have created a real information campaign and have raised awareness among thousands of other young people to take action for the planet.

"I did not hesitate a moment to sign as climate change and its effects on our planet are more than obvious," said Sidonie. "In Madagascar, particularly in the area of Ambositra, fires ravage thousands of hectares of forest each year. Because of deforestation, we are depriving ourselves of the services of an important ally in the fight against CO2 emissions, not to mention other damage such as erosion. "

Nine thousand scouts in Madagascar also have signed the declaration calling for a fair, ambitious and binding climate deal during the current summit in Copenhagen.

"Signing this declaration is an act of citizenship, but also a decision to share with the world's youth, a common concern about the fate of future generations," said Ramaroson Domoin, a member of the female Scout Movement "Mpanazava".

For this young Malagasy," the major industrial countries must realize that their prosperity should no longer be at the expense of developing countries. These really need a fair and equitable cooperation to address problems caused by climate change. "

With more than 30,000 signatures, young Malagasy can boast of being the third major group of signatories worldwide.

"This is an action that gives much hope," said Rachel Senn Harifetra, head of the Vintsy Project at WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Program, "it reinforces our belief that young people may well be among the drivers of change to address the threat to our planet, in both rich and poor countries. "

WWF welcomes new financing proposal, but long-term finance still needed

2009-12-17

Copenhagen, Denmark - As talks heat up in Copenhagen, several countries put forward additional fast-start financing proposals to help broker a deal, but the important missing component remains long-term finance. Today, Japanese Environment Minister Sakihito Ozawa announced USD15 billion for fast start funding by 2012, under the Hatoyama Initiative. Earlier in the day, Australia, France, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States announced that they will commit USD3.5 billion of public finance to reduce emissions from deforestation in developing countries (REDD).

We welcome these new commitments as they show a desire to reach a global agreement to address climate change,said Kim Carstensen, the leader of the WWF Global Climate Initiative.

Unfortunately, the core ingredient that remains on the shelf is a solid proposal for reliable long-term finance. This is one key element that is needed to break down the wall between developed and developing countries.

Japan'commitment is for USD 15 billion with stipulations that USD 11 billion of that would be from public financing. This represents a clear increase from previous reports estimating Japan's financing proposal at USD 9.2 billion.

Japan is clearly trying to move the negotiations forward, added Carstensen.

In addition, Australia, France, Japan, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States announced they will commit USD $3.5 billion of public finance over three years to reduce emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) in developing countries.

"The commitment from these industrialized countries to provide $3.5 billion in fast-start public finance is a welcome start to the much bigger effort to reduce and ultimately stop the loss of forests, and it is good to see a broad coalition of countries getting behind it," said Carstensen. We still need to see, however, exactly how much of the financing from both of these announcements today is new and additional to other development aid already promised.

This falls short of the need identified by the recent informal working group on REDD, which found that nearly USD $9 billion would be needed over the next 3 years. We urge more countries to come forward with commitments and fill this funding gap, added Carstensen.

"Although fast-start funding is critical to build up capacity, it must not be seen as any substitute for secure, predictable and additional finance for the medium and long term, which is necessary both for mitigation actions, like deforestation, and for critical efforts to help vulnerable countries adapt to the dangerous impacts of climate change, said Carstensen. The need for this long-term money is not negotiable. The deal and the planet depend on it.

For further information:
Steven K. Ertel
202-460-4641
steve.ertel@wwfus.org

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

Voice of the people crucial in fight against climate change

2009-12-16

20:00 (CET), 16 December, Copenhagen, Denmark: As the lights were turned back on at the conclusion of the special Earth Hour Hopenhagen, Vijay Nambiar, the Chief of Staff of the Secretary General UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said:

"Climate change may be bigger than each of us but it is not bigger than all of us."

The citizens of the UN climate summit host city turned off their lights for an hour in a special Earth Hour which recalled the global event in March of this year in which hundreds of millions of people from 88 countries and 4000 cities and towns Voted Earth for decisive action on climate change.

WWF Director General James Leape and 10-year-old Anne-Katrine Bisgaard Håkansson from Denmark handed to Vijay Nambiar a shimmering globe, The People's Orb, which contains a 350-gigabyte mosaic of the hopes, dreams and experiences of people from every continent of the world, from diverse communities in desert, forest and by the sea, to create a global mandate for action on climate change was handed over to.

The People's Orb is a symbol of the collective effort of all the major climate campaigns, including Seal the Deal, tcktcktck, Raise your Voice, 350.org, Hopenhagen and Vote Earth. Unveiled in Sydney, the Orb travelled to Copenhagen via The Climate Express and was delivered to the host city by honorary custodian, UNEP Executive Director, Achim Steiner. A series of citizen and official custodians have cared for and showcased The Orb in the lead up to its presentation.

Vijay Nambiar said the international gathering of families, politicians, media and mayors in Copenhagen City Hall Square that the dedication to action on climate change by the people of the world has given him hope.

"The size of the challenge has not daunted your commitment," he said.

"With this Orb - with the voices you have raised - you are urging your leaders to protect people and the planet. Together, let's make Copenhagen the place where the world came together to usher in a new era of hope."

Mr Leape said the time to act is now.

"Action on climate change has been debated for far too long," Mr Leape said.

"It is imperative that on 27 March 2010 – Earth Hour 2010 – the people of the world will feel confident that we are heading in a positive direction to protect our planet and make it a safer, cleaner, healthier future for all."

To interview Andy Ridley, Founder, Earth Hour: Kirsten Hodgon, Earth Hour Global, M: +45 28 62 80 77 E: Khodgon@wwf.org.au

On track to the curse of Copenhagen, cure of Copenhagen still within reach

2009-12-16

Copenhagen, Denmark – Little of substance has been decided in the texts now being passed to ministers and soon to go before Heads of State in Copenhagen, WWF warned today.

"In many ways the final sessions have produced more disagreement rather than less on key issues as national negotiators dig in," said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF's global deal. "As the really hard decisions go forward to higher levels, it becomes more likely we will end up with high words on principal and less likely we will get detailed words that will work in tackling climate change.

Carstensen said the competitiveness and intransigence of large powers was largely responsible for the mess the talks had become.

"At the higher levels, it is lawyers building loopholes for the sake of large interests rather than nations negotiating the moral and effective ways to enact the measures that science says are necessary," Carstensen said.

WWF said that the world is currently on track for runaway climate change, with commitments put forward by parties adding up to levels of global warming that may well reach 4 degrees C above pre-industrial levels – a recipe for disaster.

"Large nations can bully and spin their way out of effective climate action, but there will be no way to spin or bully our way out of climate change.

"The world will look back on this conference from a state of climate chaos or from a state of narrowly averted climate crisis. When we look back, will we be talking of the cure of Copenhagen or the curse of Copenhagen."

In the latest developments, all night sessions failed to produce a financial framework for assisting developing nations to adapt to climate change and reduce emissions.

The debate on strengthened emission reduction targets for the historically biggest emitters from industrialized countries has not progressed beyond the utterly insufficient offerings made by the developed world before Copenhagen.

"Texts in almost all crucial areas of the negotiations - such as technology cooperation, adaptation and forest protection – has been seriously stripped of anything firm over the last 24 hours", said Carstensen.

"Negotiators from the US have been trying to hold the line on too many things big and small and in the process the big picture has been lost – it is time for the moral leadership of US president Barack Obama to assert itself in line with the hopes and expectations of the world," Carstensen said.

"China also has to take a higher moral ground and face the contradiction between it requiring international scrutiny of the greenhouse gas inventories of other nations while declining it for itself."

"Europe could act boldly in line with the scientific imperatives rather than act incrementally on the basis of what others are doing."

"We have three days left. Our planet can't afford delay, so leaders have to take over and rescue the process."

For further information:
Natalia Reiter, WWF International, nreiter@wwfint.org +41 79 873 8099

Small emissions reductions and large loopholes add up to world on way to disaster

2009-12-15

Copenhagen, Denmark - Pledges for emissions reductions now on the table from developed nations at the Copenhagen climate change conference could be lost in loopholes being built into an agreement, WWF warned today.

"It is possible for developed nations to spin their way out of real emissions reductions, but they can't spin their way out of climate catastrophe," said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF's global climate initiative.

"That is the track we are on if the industrialised worlds find ways to increase emissions while saying they are reducing them through creative accounting which allows us to not count emissions, count them twice or count them in strange ways."

WWF's analysis identified a possibility that various loopholes could lead to industrialised country emissions increasing to 4 to 10 per cent over 1990 levels by 2020 – a stark contrast with the pledges of 15 - 19% emissions reductions so far tabled by industrialised nations in Copenhagen.

Chief among the loopholes is a lack of provisions governing where emissions reductions can be achieved – in the countries claiming them or as offsets in developing countries where carbon accounting can be much less rigorous. Based on WWF's assessments, around one and a half billion tonnes of emissions reductions could be compromised in this way.

Current UN Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) rules can allow for the delivery of real emissions reductions – but also for developed nations to claim credits for projects that would have been implemented in developed nations in any case.

"To avoid an overall zero sum game, WWF is seeking for the overwhelming majority of developed country emissions to be made at home," Carstensen said.

Another loophole emerges when countries carry emissions reductions credits forward into new commitment periods – a danger in particular from the "Hot Air" provisions given in abundance to Russia and eastern European economies during negotiation of the Kyoto protocol. Altogether, purchases of such Hot Air could result in sham emissions reductions claims of up to 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2 a year by 2020.
Other loopholes include shoddy rules on forestry and land use change emissions as well as the omission of continuously rising emissions from international shipping and aviation.

WWF is working with delegates to close loopholes by strengthening rules – and is maintaining a watching brief on the creation of new loopholes.

For further information:
Dr. Stephan Singer, Global Energy Policy Director, +32 496 55 07 09, ssinger@wwfepo.org

Adaptation support key to a climate deal at Copenhagen

2009-12-14

Copenhagen, Denmark - The world's wealthy nations have a long way to go on the key negotiating element of climate change adaptation at Copenhagen, WWF warned today "Climate change adaptation mechanisms and measures and especially finance must be a key part of any successful deal reached at Copenhagen, but it is an issue starved of attention, commitments and funds," said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF global climate initiative.

"With climate impacts already severely impacting those countries least able to cope with them, we have the example of wealthy countries who have made commitments on adaptation support and finance in the past but consistently failed to fulfil their promises.

WWF today presented an outline of what adaptation measures should be included in a new climate treaty, together with case studies of its work on climate change adaptation around the globe.

Key findings include the fundamental role of supporting functioning natural landscapes and ecosystems for securing freshwater supplies in the face of longer and more severe droughts and in providing flood and storm protection in the face of the more frequent and severe extreme weather events that are already and will increasingly impact vulnerable communities.

The global environment organisation also stressed that limiting climate change impacts through cutting emissions and deforestation and adapting to climate impacts should not be viewed - or negotiated - separately.

"Although we have masses of political declarations from world leaders, agreeing that they will keep global warming below two degrees, the actual emissions reduction offers now on the table at Copenhagen have us on track to a three degree or more world," Carstensen said.

"Adaptation in a three degree world includes the costs of moving huge numbers of people out of harm's way, or starvation's way or, in the case of many islands, low lying coasts and heavily populated deltas, out of the sea's way."

WWF maintains that adaptation requires secure, transparent and accountable funding with new money rather than cosmetic reshuffling of existing aid packages. This should provide immediate near term support for highly vulnerable countries to immediately start implementing essential adaptation measures.

Also needed is international "insurance" funding to provide financial aid to countries at risk of being overwhelmed by climate change impacts or coping with disaster emergencies. WWF is also supporting calls from many of the worlds most vulnerable countries calls for seeking a multilateral mechanism to compensate for long term loss and damage such as the loss of entire small island nation states through sea level rise – a risk at just 1.5 degrees of average global warming.

"While there are some limited offers for short term adaptation funding on the table, there is little longer term vision or commitment," said Carstensen. "We need to ensure that Copenhagen does not become the venue where getting some initial pledged money for adaptation takes precedence over setting up a secure international framework for adaptation."

WWF's adaptation work reflects the global to local nature of the organisation and covers helping to establish adaptation policy and capacity at national levels down to working with communities to improve the resilience of local environments to climate change impacts and extreme weather events.

In the Himalayas, the watershed for more than one billion people, WWF is helping to research glacial melt, identify potential dangerous glacial lakes and in Bhutan, is helping to drain a high risk glacial lake. The program also includes commissioning climate vulnerability assessments, providing community information and trialling ways to collaborate with farmers and villagers to safeguard their environment, food and water supplies and livelihoods.

WWF supporters and partners in its climate adaptation work include banking giant HSBC and the UK Department for International Development.

"These cutting edge examples of in-country climate change adaptation in practice are showing again and again that it is the environment that absorbs the main impacts of climate change and a more resilient environment that best protects communities from climate impacts," said Pablo Herrera, Director of Conservation and Sustainable Development of Argentina's WWF affiliate Fundación Vida Silvestre, who has been analysing the global on the ground adaptation work.

Press conference:
13:00 CET 14 December 2009, UNFCCC COP 15, Bella Centre, Copenhagen.

For further information:
Sandeep Chamling Rai, Policy Coordinator Adaptation, scrai@wwf.sg +65 6323 0100
Pablo Herrera, Director of Conservation and Sustainable Development of Fundación Vida Silvestre Argentina, pablo.herrera@vidasilvestre.org.ar , +45 50 75 52 90

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

www.panda.org/cop15/media for latest news and media resources

"Don't get distracted," WWF urges ministers

2009-12-14

Copenhagen, Denmark – Ministers arriving for the high level segment of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen are being urged to not get distracted from a goal of preserving the world from climate catastrophe.

WWF called on ministers to adopt a shared vision where the rise in average global temperature rise was limited to below two degrees and stabilises at 1.5 degrees.

"To minimize the risk of overshooting two degrees, WWF believes any measures decided at this conference should be subjected to a science review finishing no later than 2015," said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF's global climate initiative.

"This review, to see if what we are doing matches what we need to do, needs to be part of the agreement."
In WWF's view, the Copenhagen outcome should be legally binding on parties and consist of a an amended Kyoto Protocol with new and adequate emissions reductions targets for developed countries, and a new, linked Copenhagen Protocol establishing the international legal framework around climate action in the US and in developing countries.

"Any agreement on funding needs to deal not only with fast start funding, but must also specify how the immediate funding can be used to create the capacity and the institutions needed to be able to handle rapidly growing levels of funding in coming years.

"The agreement should also detail new sources of funding such as levies on international aviation and shipping and auctioning of carbon pollution permits, and it should make clear how and through what institutions the money should be distributed."

WWF believes that there is a need to establish an international methodology to track emission reductions both in developed and developing countries.

"Parties must clearly state what their real reductions are, and the data must be clear and transparent and must follow agreed international standards" Carstensen said. "The overall objective must be to lay the basis for an outcome that will put the world on track to a less than two degree future."

For further information:
Phil Dickie, +41 79 703 1952, pdickie@wwfint.org

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

www.panda.org/cop15/media for latest news and media resources

Negotiators deliver the framework, now ministers need to come up with the numbers

2009-12-12

Copenhagen, Denmark – Negotiators at the UN climate summit have delivered a framework that can be developed to ensure a fair, ambitious and binding Copenhagen climate deal, WWF said yesterday.

"It is the job of the ministers now arriving to fill in the numbers against both the cuts in emissions and the money to make the deal possible," said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF's global climate initiative.

"Putting in the numbers is where we can bridge the divide between the ambitions governments have shown so far and what we really need to do to stay out of the climate catastrophe zone."

WWF warned that texts presented by the chairmen of the negotiating group don't answer questions on the legal format of the future agreement.

"Adding ambitious numbers to the framework texts and purging the remaining loopholes that could undermine the integrity of the deal is important", said Carstensen,"but to make it a reliable and watertight, we also need to have it legally binding."

Carstensen said ministers and later heads of state would be able to address issues that negotiators had little freedom to move on.

"If we can bridge the divide between what the developed nations are prepared to do and what the emerging and developing world want to see happen, we will have a Copenhagen climate deal," Carstensen did. "Clearly there has to be action on all sides for the greater global outcome.

"For the wealthy world, the science and the equity arguments all point to increased cuts in emissions and more money on the table for those who have contributed little to the problem of climate change but will suffer the most of the consequences."

"From the emerging economies we welcome the commitments made, but we need their efforts to be included in and measured as part of the global effort."

For further information:
Phil Dickie
pdickie@wwfint.org
+41797031952

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

www.panda.org/cop15/media for latest news and media resources

Growing China industry helps clean energy boom

2009-12-11

Copenhagen, Denmark – Clean energy technology is on track to become the third largest industrial sector globally with a rapidly increasing share taken up by China, predicted a WWF report released at the UN climate summit in Copenhagen today.

Clean Economy, Living Planet - Building Strong Clean Energy Technology Industries is a first ever worldwide country ranking by clean energy sales, finding that relative to GDP it is wind energy and insulation pioneer Denmark and bio-ethanol giant Brazil that are leading the way. Germany, trading on a substantial manufacturing base and public support for wind and solar energy, is in third place.

The report predicted that by 2020 the industry would be worth €1600 billion a year in 2020, ranking behind automobiles and electronics as the third largest industrial sector. In 2007, clean energy technology had a sales volume of €630 billion and was already larger than the global pharmaceutical industry.

Sale revenues from energy efficiency products in 2007 were more than five times the revenues from renewable energy products, but this will change significantly by 2020 with the growth rate for renewables at 15 per cent a year being three times the still respectable five per cent annually of efficiency product and process revenues.

"This is the clean economy growth happening now with only a partial Kyoto protocol international framework supporting clean energy development, patchy national support for green energy and huge subsidies to fossil fuel use," said Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF's global climate initiative.

"Imagine what is possible with a successful Copenhagen climate deal and the national mechanisms to deliver its outcomes – clean energy is where the money is going to be and this is where energy security is going to be."

The report advocates countries seeking to develop their clean energy technology sectors should "follow the leaders" with technology action plans to take technologies from research to demonstration and bridge the gap between research institutions and industry.

Central banks could help by encouraging the inclusion of "carbon risk" into financial modelling. Access to seed or venture capital has also been a factor in the success of clean energy in the leading countries

The report also emphasises the importance of developing a strong domestic market in technologies with a strong domestic fit.

"It allows companies to experiment, gain experience and quickly traverse the learning curve – both giving them a competitive lead and providing them with reference and showcase projects," the report said. Governments can support such domestic markets with subsidies, renewables targets and procurement policies.

Countries which could benefit from such moves include the US, ranked 18 on the GDP weighted rankings and behind Germany even in absolute terms, and the UK, ranked 19. Illustrating opportunities lost, Australia - which squandered an early technical lead in solar energy – is ranked 28.

China is ranked fourth in terms of absolute sales, and sixth relative to its GDP.

"Clearly, from a national perspective there is much to gain and nothing to lose from investing in clean energy," said Donald Pols, Head of the Climate Programme at WWF-Netherlands.

"Forgoing these opportunities for the sake of propping up an aging, polluting fossil fuel sector for as long as its lobbying power remains significant is acting for vested interests not the national interest."

For further information:
Donald Pols, Head of Climate Programme, WWF-Netherlands dpols@wwf.nl +31 6 20801096

Earth Hour in Copenhagen to conclude with Ban Ki-moon accepting People's Orb

2009-12-11

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has confirmed he will be accepting a message from the people of the world to pass on to world leaders gathering in Copenhagen for the final stages of the UN summit on climate change.

The giving of The People's Orb, a shimmering 20cm silver sphere loaded with global stories, voices and images calling for decisive action on climate change to Ban Ki-moon is to be the culminating act of Earth Hour in Copenhagen on Wednesday 16th of December, happening when citizens of the city now in the world's spotlight turn their lights back on.

"The People's Orb carries the hopes and dreams of hundreds of millions of people from all over the world -- an urgent call for a global response to climate change," said Jim Leape, Director-General of WWF International. "So, as heads of state gather in Copenhagen, it is fitting that Ban Ki-moon, who has been an eloquent champion for climate action, should carry the Orb into the final negotiations.

The lights of Copenhagen are to be turned off for one hour from 7pm on Wednesday 16 December.

The Orb has traveled from Sydney, Australia carried by a succession of honorary custodians and arrived in Copenhagen aboard the Climate Express, a train which started its journey at the site of the last major climate treaty in Kyoto, Japan.

At the heart of The People's Orb is a 350 gigabyte hard drive which will retain enough memory for the final story – that of how world leaders united in Copenhagen to save the world from catastrophic climate change.

For further information: Kirsten Hodgon, Earth Hour Global, M: +61 (0) 424 507 095
E: Khodgon@wwf.org.au / +45 2862 8077

Peace has a prize, it's time to pay it!

2009-12-10

WWF reaction to President Obama's Nobel Peace Prize awarding. Carter Roberts, CEO of WWF US:

"We congratulate President Obama on this prestigious award. It's a testament to his ability to lead, inspire and work toward solutions to the serious challenges facing our world.

"We were pleased to hear the President in his acceptance speech state in no uncertain terms that taking swift and forceful action on climate change is core to building a just and lasting peace."

"The President's first opportunity to act upon this principle will come quickly as he returns to Scandinavia next week to assert his leadership in Copenhagen in the fight against dangerous climate change. Disruptions in climate will lead to eruptions in conflict-prone areas around the world as sea levels rise, food and water shortages and other impacts force people from their homelands."

"The President has expressed his resolve to address the climate threat. Now the world is looking for assurance that the US will follow through on commitments made in Copenhagen, which can only come in the form of legislation. When the President arrives here next week, the world will be looking for him to announce that passing a climate bill through the Senate in early 2010 will be his next legislative priority."

For further information:
Ashwini Prabha
aprabha@wwfint.org
+41 79 873 80 99

EU Council must address loopholes and weak targets for next phase of UN climate talks

2009-12-09

Brussels, Belgium – As the European Council prepares to meet in Brussels tomorrow, WWF is calling on Heads of State to take what will be their final opportunity to push EU targets to the level needed to limit atmospheric warming to well below two degrees, before high level talks at the UN climate change summit in Copenhagen begin next week.

"The EU is using a possible move to a 30 % emission reductions target as a bargaining chip, but it is an empty gesture," says Jason Anderson, Head of EU Climate and Energy Policy at WWF. "Staying at their present offer of 20% would actually mean slowing down the current pace of emission reductions in Europe. The EU would not only forego the economic benefits independent studies say Europe would gain from a deeper target, it would also mean Europe is making less effort than the United States, according to their own internal analyses."

For Europe to retain its leadership and live up to the commitment to stay on less than a 2 degree trajectory, the Council needs to change its target to at least a 30% reduction below 1990 levels with the offer to move to 40% if other countries increase their efforts.

There are three big loopholes hidden in the EU's target:

1. Hot Air
This refers to the excess carbon credits granted to some countries in their Kyoto targets. The EU has 'hot air' allowances left within its own borders, which it could carry over after 2012, or sell on. Failing to flush the 8-10 tonnes of global hot air from the system could cripple real reduction efforts.

2. Land Use Change
Second, the land-use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) rules that Europe is choosing to promote is a pick-and-choose accounting trick that could lead to a billion tonnes of further so-called reductions if applied globally.

3. Carbon Offsets
The carbon offsets Europe is buying are severely cutting the amount of reductions it is making domestically. Since the EU has bought so much credit already, it will carry over to the next period and cut reductions needing to be made there. Many of these offsets come from projects that would have happened anyway, cutting real reductions.

"Since these loopholes could severely affect European, and indeed global, reduction efforts, the EU needs to cut them out of its own plans and positions," Jason Anderson continues. "The EU also needs to promote the concept of carbon clarity as a key principle in Copenhagen: ensuring full transparency on how reductions are accounted for, so we know that they are real."

The Council is also preparing to agree a short-term financing offer. What is currently planned is no more than Europe already claims as its contribution to international climate finance, and so will lead to no new action - unless there is an absolutely clear demand that this money is new and additional.

Furthermore, Europe has not been forthcoming about how it intends to help in one of the fundamental building blocks of a Copenhagen deal: medium and long-term finance. It has vague existing offers but no specifics on what Europe is prepared to pay. Europe has also introduced but then sidelined important options to raise money, such as from auctioning credits in the shipping and aviation sectors, as well as national emissions credit allowance auctions (AAUs - the 'Norwegian proposal').

WWF is calling for the EU to clarify their level of financial commitment, to close the loopholes in their current proposals and to raise their offered reduction targets to 40 per cent.

For further information:
Jo Sargent, Senior Press Officer, WWF-UK
+44 7867 697 519

Major land use loophole could leave out up to a billion tons of emissions annually

2009-12-09

Copenhagen, Denmark – As negotiators get to work today in Copenhagen, an alarming loophole in how emissions from land use, land-use change and forestry (LULUCF) would be accounted for in a global climate agreement remains a major obstacle. The loophole could result in up to one billion tons of CO2 annually, roughly the equivalent of Japan's annual emissions, being ignored by industrialized countries. One of the core issues is whether or not countries will account for the full amount of emissions from the forestry sector, as they are required to do for every other sector.

Austria, Finland and Sweden, some of the European Union's most forested countries, are promoting alternative accounting systems where countries will not account for emission increases from forestry as long as they are planned. The rest of the European Union and most other industrialized countries have followed and supported this position.

"A global agreement to address dangerous climate change cannot work without trust between nations and this loophole provides a great opportunity for developed countries to manipulate the system and erode that trust," said Kim Carstensen, leader of the Global Climate Initiative at WWF. "It is the essence of hypocrisy that developed countries would propose such weak rules for themselves while requiring the necessary rigor from the developing world on emissions reductions from deforestation and forest degradation under the REDD provisions of a global agreement."

As trees grow, they bind CO2 from the atmosphere in their plant mass. Cutting trees leads to decay and changes in the soil which emits CO2 and other greenhouse gases. LULUCF was created to take account of these substantial emissions and provide incentives for mitigation action in the land-use sector.

The lack of credible accounting rules would mean that a country could increase emissions dramatically without this showing up in its carbon accounts.

"This is like saying that we won't count emissions from new power plants as long as they are planned. A loophole like this could completely undermine the entire accounting system," added Carstensen. "They are jumping at the opportunity to hide a billion tons of emission reductions through a simple accounting trick. This is not the kind of leadership the world has been looking for."

For further information:
Natalia Reiter
+41798738099
nreiter@wwfint.org

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

Danish climate text should be regarded as diversion:WWF

2009-12-08

Kim Carstensen, leader of WWF Global Climate Initiative, issued the following statement following the publication of a leaked draft Copenhagen climate agreement prepared by the Danish hosts of the summit.

"The behind the scenes negotiations tactics under the Danish Presidency, have been focusing on pleasing the rich and powerful countries rather than serving the majority of states who are demanding a fair and ambitious solution."

"The Danish Prime Minister´s proposed text is weak and reflects a too elitist, selective and non-transparent approach by the Danish presidency."

"We understand and share the frustration of the poor and vulnerable countries. We urge the Danish presidency to change its style and move to a cooperative and listening mode. We also believe this was one of the political signals sent by COP President Connie Hedegaard in her opening statement yesterday"

"Focus on the Danish text right now is a distraction from the negotiations that have just come underway in Copenhagen. Talks must focus on the text that has so far been negotiated and not on new texts
that are being negotiated in small groups."

WWF welcomes US EPA finding on greenhouse gases

2009-12-07

Copenhagen, Denmark – The Environmental Protection Agency announced today that greenhouse gas emissions endanger public health and welfare, setting the stage for regulation of global warming pollution under the Clean Air Act.

World Wildlife Fund issued the following statement from Keya Chatterjee, Director of WWF-US's Climate Change Program:

"This is great news and shows that the Administration is committed to enforcing the Clean Air Act and addressing dangerous climate change. The finding recognizes the clear scientific basis for regulating carbon pollution as a threat to public health and welfare.

"The Clean Air Act is now and must remain an important tool for helping to fight dangerous climate change. But the most effective approach to addressing the climate crisis both at home and as part of a global partnership is through comprehensive climate legislation.

"In the context of the Copenhagen climate talks, this finding underscores the Administration's seriousness about climate change, but we still have one missing element: the trust of the international community that the US will follow through on the medium and long term targets announced by President Obama last week.

"For that, we also need US legislation. When President Obama comes to Copenhagen next week, the world will be listening intently for assurance that he will make climate change his next legislative priority after healthcare."

ACT FOR OUR FUTURE
For more information about WWF's efforts to secure Senate passage of climate legislation, please visit www.ActForOurFuture.org.

ABOUT WORLD WILDLIFE FUND
WWF is the world's leading conservation organization, working in 100 countries for nearly half a century. With the support of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF is dedicated to delivering science-based solutions to preserve the diversity and abundance of life on Earth, halt the degradation of the environment and combat climate change. Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.

For further information contact:
Joe Pouliot
Director of Climate and Policy Communications
+1-202-476-9919
joe.pouliot@wwfus.org

COP15: Time to act on calls from millions of people

2009-12-06

Leaders from around the world have the unique opportunity in Copenhagen to act on calls of tens of millions of hopeful people who asked for a fair climate deal that can help save this planet from a devastating threat.

Everyone, rich and poor, black and white, northern or southern, wants a climate deal in Copenhagen. It is not a pile of papers but the future of all of us and next generations that is at stake in Copenhagen.

There are twelve days to save the planet and we all must use them. Especially those who have the power to make a decision are carrying an immense responsibility.

"Signing a fair, ambitious and binding deal in Copenhagen means responding to calls of tens of millions people and a failure to agree on a deal means simply ignoring them," said Kim Carstensen, the leader of the Global Climate Initiative from WWF. "Ignoring millions of people will come at a great price for the whole world."

"The green light for a climate deal is there and now leaders have to make the steps" " We all need to remind ourselves everyday that we are not only talking about money, paragraphs and amendments but about our lives, other peoples lives and lives of our children and grandchildren."

According to WWF world leaders have a priceless opportunity to show that politics is able to look beyond next parliamentary elections and party rivalries. They can show that politics can be fair and responsive to peoples' needs.

"An ambitious climate deal provides a unique opportunity for leaders to win trust of their voters, show true leadership and open up endless economic and market opportunities around the world."

Citizens, media, NGOs, businesses, church members and most other relevant institutions have given politicians their backing and urged them to make the only right decision. Copenhagen is the time to act on the call.

The climate deal reached in Copenhagen must secure deep emissions cuts from industrialized countries, together with predictable and additional long-term funding to protect the poor against the effects of climate change and to enable them to move onto a low-carbon development path. And it must provide a new framework for ambitious climate action to limit emissions in developing countries.

We have very positive signs with leaders like the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and U.S President Barack Obama announcing their participation in the conference.

"It's a big step that India is putting forward its commitment to combat climate change."

"We commend President Obama for his decision to be in Copenhagen during what is likely to be the critical moment in the UN climate talks. Clearly this news injects a renewed sense of optimism that we can nail down a deal in Copenhagen," Carstensen said.

Providing the financial support to help developing countries to reduce their emissions and cope with impacts of climate change is the key to unlocking a global agreement.

"We are happy that President Obama will engage in discussing both short-term and long-term financing. These are both needed as deciding factor for a successful Copenhagen outcome."

For further information:
Ashwini Prabha
aprabha@wwfint.org
+41 79 873 80 99

People's Orb on its way to Copenhagen

2009-12-04

Sydney, Australia: A message for world leaders on the urgency for decisive action on climate changte is on its way to Copenhagen - in the form of The People's Orb - a shimmering 20cm silver sphere containing a 350 gigabyte mosaic of stories, voices, images and action on climate change collected from around the world .

An initiative of WWF's Earth Hour that has been embraced by all major community climate campaigns, the orb was unveiled in Sydney by the first joint honorary custodians, Sydney Lord Mayor, Clover Moore MP and 14 year old "Climate Girl" Parrys Raines

The People's Orb is to be presented to a representative of world leaders during a dedicated Earth Hour Copenhagen when the lights of the city will be turned off for one hour from 7pm on Wednesday 16 December - a highly timely reminder of Earth Hour earlier this year when hundreds of millions globally demonstrated their wish for a fair, ambitious and binding agreement on climate change to emerge from the crucial Copenhagen summit which kicks off Monday.

During its journey, The Orb will be entrusted to a sequence of honorary custodians, including Professor Tim Flannery, WWF International Director General, Mr Jim Leape and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Executive Director, Mr Achim Steiner..

The Orb will arrive in the city on Saturday 5 December via The Climate Express - a train which left the previous treaty deal city of Kyoto, Japan, last month.

Earth Hour Executive Director, Andy Ridley, says that the huge numbers of people who took part in Earth Hour 2009 – when hundreds of millions of people in over 4000 cities and towns in 88 countries throughout the world voted for Earth over global warming by turning off their lights - is evidence that the planet's population is calling for definitive action on climate change.

"The People's Orb represents the spirit of collaboration across the globe. It gives the world's citizens a voice to make a difference in the global battle against climate change," Ridley says.

The People's Orb will retain sufficient memory for world leaders to include the final piece - a binding agreement for the future of the planet.

Campaigns supporting the orb include Vote Earth, tcktcktck, 350.org, Seal the Deal, Raise Your Voice, Hopenhagen, the Copenhagen Climate Council and the Earth Journalism Awards.

A global appeal for suggestions of material to be included in The People's Orb has sparked conversation across the world. Social media networks facebook and twitter are already a buzz with suggestions and comments from the planets citizens.

Michael Jackson's Earth Song has been the number one suggestion via online forums. Further suggestions being suggested on blogs, twitter and facebook, inspirational quotes from throughout the ages ( "We do not inherit the world from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children") and a copy of The Girl Who Silenced The World For 5 Minutes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQmz6Rbpnu0).

Along with suggestions from individuals, The People's Orb will also contain key climate change reports from the world's most eminent scientists; representation from the world's great thinkers on the need for action on climate change and representation from the leaders of the world's cities calling for action on climate change.

Suggestions for what should be included in The People's Orb are being collected via Twitter (www.twitter/earthhour), Facebook (www.facebook.com/earthhour) and the Earth Hour blog - earthhourblog.posterous.com.

Notes to Editors

Businesses, community groups and individuals are encouraged to host a Vote Earth ballot box on their website. For more information, go to http://www.earthhour.org/HowCanIShowSupport.aspx.

About Earth Hour's Vote Earth
Earth Hour's Vote Earth campaign builds on the call for action on climate change provided by millions of people, companies and communities during Earth Hour. The campaign aims to provide a platform for the people of the world to deliver world leaders a mandate for the right decision to be made at the United Nations Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009. Find out more about the campaign at www.earthhour.org Earth Hour's Vote Earth is organised by WWF.

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

For more information:
Kirsten Hodgon
Earth Hour Global
M: +61 (0) 424 507 095
E: Khodgon@wwf.org.au

COP 15: twelve days to save the planet

2009-12-03

Gland, Switzerland – The climate conference in Copenhagen is the best opportunity to agree on a climate deal that can save the planet from devastating climate change. We need to take it.

After months of preparations the time has finally come. Tens of thousands of negotiators and politicians are gathering in Copenhagen, and millions of people from around the world will be watching them. Their lives, the lives of their children and grandchildren will depend on the decisions made in Denmark. Leaders have been given twelve days to save the planet and they must use them.

"Copenhagen is the best time and opportunity to agree on a climate deal which could save our planet from catastrophic climate change. Another opportunity like that may not come in time," said Kim Carstensen, the leader of WWF Global Climate Initiative. "The world has given a green light for a climate deal. Citizens, media, NGOs, businesses, church members and most other relevant institutions have given politicians their backing and urged them to make the only right decision: sign an ambitious climate agreement."

According to WWF, there is a clear choice to be made: Leaders can take the unique opportunity and try to repair the damage before it is too late, allow people and businesses around the world to start a smooth transition into a low carbon economy and start benefiting from it as soon as possible. Or they can delay it, put lives of millions of people at risk, and deprive the world of the greatest opportunity of our lifetime: a green and sustainable future.

"An ambitious climate deal is not a punishment. It is an amazing political and economic opportunity. It is the most important document politicians will ever sign," Carstensen said. "A lack of a climate deal is a dangerous experiment in full scale with the planet. It's a risk we cannot afford to take."

A strong climate deal could give millions of businesses the chance to shift to a low carbon future. It could not only help revive many struggling economies, lift many countries out of poverty, give chances to people who never had any. It could also reduce wars, hunger and natural disasters.

"Whoever recognizes the vast opportunities and benefits that come with a strong climate deal is a true leader," Carstensen said.

The climate deal reached in Copenhagen must secure deep emissions cuts from industrialized countries, together with predictable and additional long-term funding to protect the poor against the effects of climate change and to enable them to move onto a low-carbon development path. And it must provide a new framework for ambitious climate action to limit emissions in developing countries.

"Going into this conference we don't have enough on the table. The commitments made so far will not keep the world under the two degrees of warming, which is a threshold of unacceptable risks of runaway catastrophic climate change," said Kim Carstensen. "This has to change over the next twelve days, where leaders must find the way to live up to the expectations of millions of people." "The two key tests to be met in Copenhagen are the measures adequate and are the measures fair"

For further information
Natalia Reiter
+41798738099
nreiter@wwfint.org

About WWF
WWF is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations, with almost 5 million supporters and a global network active in over 100 countries. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

www.panda.org/cop15/media for latest news and media resources