Bonn, Germany (Mar.29) WWF - From Shanghai to Stockholm, Sydney to Rio de Janeiro, hundreds of millions of people joined WWF’s Earth Hour and turned off their lights for a whole hour to vote for our planet and against destructive climate change. Their vote is a demand for the world’s leaders to take action.
Marking the opening of the UN climate talks in Bonn today WWF and a group of German Scouts will deliver the message of the symbolic vote in form of a ballot box from millions of citizens across the world to Yvo de Boer, Executive Secretary of UN’s Climate Change treaty (UNFCCC), and the government delegates attending the negotiations.
Earth Hour, which took place in nearly 2500 cities and towns, is the world’s first ever global vote about the future of our planet.
“Citizens worldwide have voted with their light switch – now it’s high time for governments to show leadership and Vote Earth, by working towards a just, effective, and science-based climate treaty,” said Kim Carstensen, Leader of WWF’s Global Climate Initiative. “Last night’s message from the masses was loud and clear: Delay no more, real action now!”
The Bonn conference is the first of a series of inter-sessional meetings this year to start laying out an ambitious draft of the new global climate treaty before the Deal Day at the Copenhagen conference in December. It is also the first meeting since the change of power in the United States.
“Signing a new global climate treaty in Copenhagen depends on having a comprehensive draft by June. In Bonn, delegates must show their cards and work towards consensus where it’s still lacking,” said Carstensen.
“People expect the world leaders to come up with solutions. They need to embrace a low carbon economy to combat global warming,” said Carstensen. “Any economic recovery package must serve to support livelihoods while at the same time sustaining the natural basis of the planet; it’s the only logical way forward.”
In Bonn leaders must overcome the stalemate slowing down talks previously and join hands to make use of the opportunities that tackling the climate challenge can offer. They must narrow down the number of options for adaptation, emissions reductions, the role of forests, finance, and technology, and outline the architecture of the new climate treaty.
“Industrialized countries must restore trust in their will to tackle climate change by agreeing to cut emissions at least 40% by 2020 as a group,” said Carstensen.
