Figueres on the Need for a Binding Global Climate Treaty by 2015

Christiana Figueres, the Executive Secretary of the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is a stalwart champion of efforts to reign-in climate change causing greenhouse gases (GHGs). She has repeatedly made bold statements about the need to act now. “We’re running out of time…we have to get to zero net emissions by the second half of this century, and in order to put us on a path to do that we have to reverse the trajectory of GHG emissions that we have now,” Figueres said.

She points out that we really have no alternative to a binding global climate treaty by 2015. “Not coming to an agreement is unacceptable – there’s just no way,” said Figueres. “We don’t have the option of not coming to an agreement, and frankly we don’t have an option of not coming to an agreement that is meaningful.”

Figures has made it clear that combating climate change is not just the responsibility of governments, businesses and large organizations, it is the responsibility of each and everyone of us as we all have a stake in a positive outcome.

“Every single one of us needs to be part of that team. None of us are exempted from responsibility, all of us can contribute,” Figures says. “This needs to be a movement forward that is constructed by everybody, not just by institutions, not just be government, not just by corporations. The team is a seven billion man and woman team.”

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