Poznan, Poland: As UN climate talks enter their next round in Poznan, WWF calls on governments to ensure that the conference shifts the climate negotiations into a much faster gear by producing first real negotiation texts. A final version of the treaty is due end of 2009.
According to the global conservation organization, conditions for making progress in the global fight against climate change have never been more favourable than at this meeting.
“Barack Obama promises to lead the US with an ambitious climate agenda, and large emerging economies are making first moves to cut domestic emissions”, says Kim Carstensen, Leader of the WWF Global Climate Initiative. “Negotiators arriving in Poznan today never had a better chance to crack the climate nut and overcome the deadlock between developed and developing countries.”
WWF activists are welcoming delegates with nuts and nutcrackers to highlight that progress lies in their hands and is easily achievable. Negotiators should translate political will and promising ideas for climate solutions into texts that are fair and ambitious enough to keep global warming below the danger-threshold of 2°C.
“Industrialized country leaders can write history and lay the groundwork for success by committing to emission cuts of at least 25 to 40% by 2020”, says Kathrin Gutmann, Head of Policy at the WWF Global Climate Initiative. “To avoid the climate catastrophe governments must join forces to peak and decline global emissions well before 2020 and agree measures now for this target to remain feasible.”
Strong proposals for the architecture of the future climate regime which are already lying on the negotiation table should be fleshed out in Poznan. More importantly, financial support pledges by industrialized countries for mitigation and adaptation efforts in developing countries must increase – a crucial prerequisite for the developing world to sign onto a global climate treaty.
“The current finance crunch was the result of ignoring major risks, so let’s not repeat this mistake by ignoring even bigger risks from climate change”, says Kim Carstensen. “Delaying the funding for emission reduction efforts and adaptation activities in developing countries will only make things worse.”

Please note: The WWF action takes place outside the main entrance of the UN Climate Change Conference venue in Poznan on Monday, 1 December, from 7:30 AM to 10:30 AM. The WWF Position Paper Crack the Climate Nut and other materials are available at: http://www.panda.org/climate
Media contacts: Christian Teriete, +48 793 489 334 (local number), +852 9310 6805 (Hong Kong mobile), cteriete@wwf.org.hk; Anna Piekut, +48 608 322 153 (local number), apiekut@wwf.pl
Spokespeople: Kim Carstensen, Leader, WWF Global Climate Initiative, +48 793 489 255 (local number), +45 40 34 36 35 (Danish mobile), k.carstensen@wwf.dk; Kathrin Gutmann, Head of Policy, WWF Global Climate Initiative, +48-793-489-256 (local number), +49 162 29 144 28 (German mobile), kathrin.gutmann@wwf.de; Stephan Singer, Director Global Energy Unit, WWF International, +48 793 489 315 (local number), +32 49 655 07 09 (Belgian mobile), ssinger@wwfepo.org; Ireneusz Chojnacki, Managing Director, WWF Poland, +48 606 947 094 (local number), ichojnacki@wwf.pl