“Come together behind a common purpose”
20 December, 2009 – President Barack Obama committed USD 10 billion in 2020 for fast-start-funding developing and, in particular, least developed and vulnerable countries’ adaptation to climate change. This was announced by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, a day before President Obama arrived in Copenhagen.
President Obama also committed 17 percent emission reduction by 2020, and more than 80 percent by 2050 in line with final legislation.
“There’s no time to waste. America has made our choice. We have charted our course, we have made our commitments and we will do what we say. Now, I believe that it’s time for the nations and people of the world to come together behind a common purpose,” said President Obama.
He said there must be a mechanism to review whether the leaders are keeping their commitments and to exchange this information in a transparent manner.
“As the world’s largest economy and the world’s second largest emitter, America bears our share of responsibility in addressing climate change and we intend to meet that responsibility and that’s why we’ve renewed our leadership within international climate negotiations and took bold action at home,” said President Obama.
‘The question is whether we’ll move forward together or split. This isn’t a perfect agreement and no country would get everything that it wants. There are those developing countries that want aid with no strings attached and who think that the most advanced nations should pay a higher price. And there are those advanced nations, who think that developing countries cannot absorb this assistance or that the world’s fastest-growing emitters should bear a greater share of the burden.
President Obama said that America is convinced that changing the way they produce and use energy is essential to America’s economic future and national security, because it will reduce dependence on foreign oil and help deal with some of the dangers posed by climate change.
However, the final deal had been expected to be sealed yesterday (Friday) evening.
Source: kuenselonline