Posted on November, 29 2012

Doha, Qatar – The UN’s choice of Warsaw, Poland as the host city and country of the next UN climate negotiations meeting known as COP19, is unacceptable as long as Poland does not change its level of response required for the climate crisis.

Commenting on the news announced today in Doha, WWF COP18 Head of Delegation Tasneem Essop says Poland has been systematically delaying progress on climate and sustainable energy issues in the European Union (EU).

“It has fought any move to 30% greenhouse gas cuts for 2020. It stood alone to veto roadmaps that would have guided decarbonisation in Europe by 2050. And it is preventing the EU taking a position ruling out the use of excess 'hot air' AAUs in the Kyoto Protocol,” she says.

Poland has yet to prove its genuine interest in solving the climate crisis at national, EU or international level.

‘We will be demanding a significant change in attitude, translated into action by the Polish government. They have to back down from blocking any progressive proposals from the EU that will result in meaningful reductions in carbon emissions. They have an opportunity to reinvent themselves as a climate leader and we will be watching them closely,” she says.

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For more information please contact

Mandy Jean Woods mwoods@wwf.org.za / +27 82 553 4211 (please send SMS if urgent)  @MandyJeanWoods
Sam Smith ssmith@wwf.no  / @pandaclimate
Tasneem Essop tessop@wwf.org.za / @TasneemEssop
 
About WWF
WWF is one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organisations, with over 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.

The Global Climate & Energy Initiative (GCEI) is WWF’s global programme addressing climate change, promoting renewable and sustainable energy, scaling up green finance, engaging the private sector and working nationally and internationally on implementing low carbon, climate resilient development.

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