ID :
61329
Tue, 05/19/2009 - 16:12
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/61329
The shortlink copeid
City leaders worldwide urge 'swift action' on climate change
(ATTN: RECASTS lead; para 2; TRIMS)
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- Leaders of the world's 80 largest cities that produce a
majority of the earth's harmful greenhouse gases opened an international forum in
Seoul Tuesday, calling on governments to swiftly chart strategies to fight global
warming.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who gave the keynote speech during the
opening ceremony of the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in Seoul, warned of fatal
consequences unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by up to 80 percent by
2050.
"I think it's important to be as specific and swift as possible on this matter,"
said Clinton, among some 400 representatives and climate change experts from
across the world who attended the session.
"If we let the worst happen, we won't be able to save the planet for our
grandchildren unless we take extremely expensive measures which can be avoided if
we move now."
Attendants at the third meeting of the C40 summit, founded in 2005 to fight
climate change and green house gas emissions, included mayors of Paris, London,
Toronto, Moscow, Sydney and Tokyo, as well as Anna Tibaijuka, the
under-secretary-general and executive director of the United Nations Human
Settlements Program.
Emphasizing the need for his country to take the lead in reducing green house gas
emissions and other environmentally-friendly measures, Clinton, the founder of
the William J. Clinton Foundation, said nations "do not have the luxury of
debating."
"The truth is most of the things we debated (in politics) could be grouped into
'What are you going to do' and 'How much are you going to spend on it,'" he said.
"There was almost no discussion on 'how do you propose to invest it to do the
maximum amount of good?' This is the question needed in Copenhagen."
The Seoul C40 summit comes ahead of the 2009 Climate Conference scheduled to be
held in Copenhagen in December, in which parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change will meet for the last time on a government level
before the climate agreement comes up for renewal. The Kyoto Protocol on climate
change and global warming expires in 2012.
"If you don't have a vote in your parliament or a vote in Copenhagen, you need to
go home and do something that will actually help your country sign on," Clinton
added.
Calling Seoul "an example" of what cities can do to reduce carbon and move
swiftly on the climate change issue, Clinton also emphasized that economic
development and green growth can go hand in hand.
"We never ask anyone to bankrupt themselves. We just need to make sure that all
the (economic and environmental) questions are even-footed."
South Korea's Prime Minister Han Seung-soo emphasized Seoul's commitment to the
green growth strategy.
"The Korean government is focusing on turning climate change into an
opportunity," he said. "Under President Lee Myung-bak's low carbon, green growth
plan, the Korean government aims to transform the way we operate our economy."
South Korea is seeking to introduce a carbon tax beginning in 2010 under
President Lee's plan, allocating an estimated 11 trillion won (about US$10
billion) annually for the green growth scheme. South Korea may be required to
join a worldwide greenhouse gas reduction plan in 2013, after the Kyoto Protocol
expires.
Calling the ongoing climate change issue a "worse than the worst case scenario,"
Toronto Mayor David Miller emphasized what he called the "Green Age."
"I believe this is also an opportunity to do something unique. Using power like
wind and solar, building modern infrastructure and replacing the old... is all
part of the new Green Age," he said. "To continue the momentum, all cities must
be resolved in working together. It's not a matter of choice, but necessity."
The Seoul C40 summit will run through Thursday at the Shilla Hotel, in the center
of the city, with experts and city leaders sharing effective practices, building
networks and coming up with a consensus on future action.
Prior to the opening of the forum, the Seoul metropolitan government and the
Clinton foundation signed an MOU on joint implementation of the so-called
"climate positive development program" (CPDP) in Seoul's Magok urban development
project zone, officials said. CPDP is an initiative aimed at eliminating
greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, May 19 (Yonhap) -- Leaders of the world's 80 largest cities that produce a
majority of the earth's harmful greenhouse gases opened an international forum in
Seoul Tuesday, calling on governments to swiftly chart strategies to fight global
warming.
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who gave the keynote speech during the
opening ceremony of the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit in Seoul, warned of fatal
consequences unless greenhouse gas emissions are reduced by up to 80 percent by
2050.
"I think it's important to be as specific and swift as possible on this matter,"
said Clinton, among some 400 representatives and climate change experts from
across the world who attended the session.
"If we let the worst happen, we won't be able to save the planet for our
grandchildren unless we take extremely expensive measures which can be avoided if
we move now."
Attendants at the third meeting of the C40 summit, founded in 2005 to fight
climate change and green house gas emissions, included mayors of Paris, London,
Toronto, Moscow, Sydney and Tokyo, as well as Anna Tibaijuka, the
under-secretary-general and executive director of the United Nations Human
Settlements Program.
Emphasizing the need for his country to take the lead in reducing green house gas
emissions and other environmentally-friendly measures, Clinton, the founder of
the William J. Clinton Foundation, said nations "do not have the luxury of
debating."
"The truth is most of the things we debated (in politics) could be grouped into
'What are you going to do' and 'How much are you going to spend on it,'" he said.
"There was almost no discussion on 'how do you propose to invest it to do the
maximum amount of good?' This is the question needed in Copenhagen."
The Seoul C40 summit comes ahead of the 2009 Climate Conference scheduled to be
held in Copenhagen in December, in which parties to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change will meet for the last time on a government level
before the climate agreement comes up for renewal. The Kyoto Protocol on climate
change and global warming expires in 2012.
"If you don't have a vote in your parliament or a vote in Copenhagen, you need to
go home and do something that will actually help your country sign on," Clinton
added.
Calling Seoul "an example" of what cities can do to reduce carbon and move
swiftly on the climate change issue, Clinton also emphasized that economic
development and green growth can go hand in hand.
"We never ask anyone to bankrupt themselves. We just need to make sure that all
the (economic and environmental) questions are even-footed."
South Korea's Prime Minister Han Seung-soo emphasized Seoul's commitment to the
green growth strategy.
"The Korean government is focusing on turning climate change into an
opportunity," he said. "Under President Lee Myung-bak's low carbon, green growth
plan, the Korean government aims to transform the way we operate our economy."
South Korea is seeking to introduce a carbon tax beginning in 2010 under
President Lee's plan, allocating an estimated 11 trillion won (about US$10
billion) annually for the green growth scheme. South Korea may be required to
join a worldwide greenhouse gas reduction plan in 2013, after the Kyoto Protocol
expires.
Calling the ongoing climate change issue a "worse than the worst case scenario,"
Toronto Mayor David Miller emphasized what he called the "Green Age."
"I believe this is also an opportunity to do something unique. Using power like
wind and solar, building modern infrastructure and replacing the old... is all
part of the new Green Age," he said. "To continue the momentum, all cities must
be resolved in working together. It's not a matter of choice, but necessity."
The Seoul C40 summit will run through Thursday at the Shilla Hotel, in the center
of the city, with experts and city leaders sharing effective practices, building
networks and coming up with a consensus on future action.
Prior to the opening of the forum, the Seoul metropolitan government and the
Clinton foundation signed an MOU on joint implementation of the so-called
"climate positive development program" (CPDP) in Seoul's Magok urban development
project zone, officials said. CPDP is an initiative aimed at eliminating
greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas.
hayney@yna.co.kr
(END)
