Global consensus grows to act on climate change
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There's growing global consensus to act quickly on climate change, Mexican Foreign Minister Patricia Espinosa said Thursday, ahead of the 16th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change (COP-16).
"At the start of this year there were very divergent opinions within states and public opinion about the possibilities offered by the negotiations," Espinosa told a broadcast press conference on preparations for the COP-16 meeting in Cancun from Nov. 29 to Dec. 10.
"Now there is a growing consensus on the need to act as quickly as possible."
Espinosa said she is counting on the support from her counterparts from Denmark, which hosted the COP-15 in 2009, and South Africa, which is the next host for the COP in 2011.
The three nations agreed earlier this year to a troika system for the COP talks, which brings together the work of previous, present and coming COP hosts for continuity.
"There have been substantial progress in the process towards Cancun. Our negotiators are much closer to reaching agreements in areas like adaptation, technology, reducing emissions, and financing," Espinosa said. "Adopting these elements will benefit us all."
Mexico has made a unilateral commitment to reduce green house emissions by 50 million tons a year by the end of Felipe Calderon's presidency in 2012.
Calderon's proposal for a green fund through which industrialized nations would help pay for emission reductions in developing countries, will be among key issues at the COP-16.
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