Climate Change talks open in Doha with a call for action
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Meeting of 2012 UN Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar
The UN Climate Change Conference in Doha began Monday with calls for governments to focus on essential tasks ahead of them so that the meeting can deliver agreed outcomes and constitute another step forward in the global response to climate change.
The newly elected President of the Conference Mr. Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Attiyah of Qatar, urged the conference to stick to agreed timetables and speedily implement already agreed decisions.
He said “Climate change is a common challenge for humanity", we must work in earnest for a better future for present and for future generations", adding that "there's a precious opportunity over the coming days, and we must make full use of it".
Conference president Abdullah al-Attiya said "many delegates have stressed the importance of finalizing work on time, "and that requires that we all show flexibility.”
Nearly 200 nations are attending this new round of UN climate talks, which comes against the background of scientific warnings that extreme weather events like superstorm Sandy will become more frequent if mitigation efforts fail.
And recent expert reports from the World Meteorological Organization and the UN Environment Programme have warned that existing greenhouse gas mitigation pledges are not nearly enough to limit warming to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
Donn Bobb, United Nations
Duration: 1'14"
