
The United Nations climate change talks need a quicker pace toward securing a global deal, turning the “politically possible into the politically irreversible,” according to the new chief of the U.N. climate change secretariat.
Christiana Figueres made the remarks at a week-long conference in Bonn, Germany, where this year’s third round of climate change negotiations was being held. It was her first address since she succeeded Yvo de Boer as head of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.
In the global fight against climate change, Figueres highlighted five main areas that she said governments can build progress on: - Establishing an international agreement on emissions reduction targets.
- Allowing developing countries to take action in climate change adaptation and mitigation.
- Turning donor countries’ funding pledges into reality.
- Ensuring that agreed actions are measured, reported and verified in a transparent and accountable way.
- Delivering accountability and binding action in carrying out efforts to combat climate change.