Posted on April, 08 2011

The UN climate talks in Bangkok concluded today with little to show for the weeklong session, says WWF.

“We are disappointed with the outcome,” says Tasneem Essop, delegation leader for WWF.

“Instead of building on the fragile compromise brokered at the last talks in Mexico and using this session to address the unresolved issues, delegates leave Bangkok without progress. This is unacceptable. Too much is at stake for us to lose ground now.”

Once again, delegates could not reach agreement over key issues including the future of the Kyoto protocol bringing the talks to a screeching standstill almost from the beginning.

“Delegates must find a way to build on past success, both in terms of trust and substance,” Essop said.

Although there were signs that parties are prepared to address the issue of climate funding, the inability for delegates to agree to an agenda prevented real work from being done, including making strides in identifying sources of finance to support mitigation and adaptation actions in developing countries.

“We are already feeling the impacts of climate change - biodiversity is plummeting, sea levels are rising, and droughts are ruining crops. The continued failure to mobilize climate financing is increasingly putting the world’s most vulnerable people and ecosystems in harm’s way,” said Essop.

The chasm between current pledges on mitigating climate change and what scientists say is necessary remains vast, following a pair of workshops clarifying the targets of developed countries and actions by developing countries.

“It is more obvious than ever that the pledges currently on the table are inadequate – this ambition gap must urgently be addressed,“ said Essop.

“One bright spot is that the developing world is already taking significant actions to reduce emissions and create low-carbon development plans and what we need now is for developed countries to step up to the plate,” said Essop.