Green groups quit ailing climate talks

WARSAW, Poland (UPDATED) – Six green groups walked out of UN climate negotiations on Thursday, November 21, declaring that the ailing talks were “on track to deliver virtually nothing”.

“Organizations and movements representing people from every corner of the Earth have decided that the best use of our time is to voluntarily withdraw from the Warsaw climate talks,” they said in a statement.

“The Warsaw climate conference, which should have been an important step in the just transition to a sustainable future, is on track to deliver virtually nothing.”

The signatories were Greenpeace, WWF, Oxfam, ActionAid, the International Trade Union Confederation and Friends of the Earth.

The annual round of talks are meant to pave the way to a climate deal by 2015 that will peg global warming to a maximum 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial revolution levels.

But deep faultlines have emerged between rich and poor nations.

The negotiations, which opened on November 11, entered their penultimate day Thursday with the two sides still squabbling over funding for poor nations to deal with climate change, and apportioning curbs in climate-altering greenhouse gas emissions.

Green groups attend the talks as observers and advisors, and do not take part in decision-making, which is reserved for UN member states.

Greenpeace spokesman Gregor Kessler told Agence France-Presse the groups were “leaving this year’s conference for good today”.

He said the delegations, or at least that of Greenpeace, would not leave Warsaw altogether, and would “follow the discussions from the outside”.

“We will not be part of the internal discussions.”

Greenpeace executive director Kumi Naidoo blamed conference host Poland for its “endorsement” of a global coal summit held in the same city as the talks, Japan for slashing its emissions goal, and Australia’s decision to scrap a carbon tax on high emitters.

“Warsaw has simply not been good enough,” said Naidoo.

“As civil society, we will be back next year with… more determination and with more ambition to succeed. We expect governments to do the same.”

Oxfam’s executive director, Winnie Byanyima, said governments gathered in Warsaw were failing in their primary responsibility of securing the security of their people.

“They must… come back in 2014 ready for meaningful discussions on how they will deliver their share of the emissions reductions which scientists say are needed and their share of the money needed to help the poorest and most vulnerable countries adapt” to climate change. – Rappler.com