HONOLULU, United States, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Representatives, as well as
many experts and protesters have called for immediate reduction in greenhouse
gases to save the earth as the U.S.-hosted climate change meeting of major
economies continued on Thursday.
"There is no time left that the world can lose," said Yvo de Boer,
executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, adding
that "all efforts now have to focus on getting on the negotiations on the
climate change deal off the ground to be ready by 2009."
He called on the developed countries to do more to deal with the serious
problem because rich countries have the main responsibility for taking the lead
in curbing greenhouse gas emission.
"Of course, industrialized countries continue to carry the main
responsibility for taking the lead in reducing emissions," said the top UN
climate change official. He also added that all major economies have a
responsibility in bringing about the solution that ensures the action on climate
change that science calls for.
"To face the climate change challenge, there is a need for radical changes
in the world economic future, but this clearly involves changes that imply
plenty of opportunities," said de Boer.
"It's important to bear in mind that the most vulnerable communities in the
poorest countries, those who have contributed nothing to climate change, will be
the worst affected by its impact," he warned.
At the opening remarks at the Major Economies Meeting for Energy Security
and Climate change on Wednesday, Hawaii's Governor Linda Lingle also told the
representatives her story about the urgency to protect the planet.
"When substituting for a friend of mine as a chaperone for his daughter's
fourth grade class," Lingle noted that the teacher told those fourth graders
that his generation has not done a good job of protecting the planet and now
it's up to the children to help turn things around.
"Of course, we can't wait for these 10 year olds to grow up ...we simply
can't wait for them to grow up and that's why the burden has fallen to all of
you," said Lingle to the seated representatives from the world's major
economies.
"The world is changing so rapidly, and we are committed in our state to
lead by example," said the governor. "By your countries and organizations
attending this meeting, you also made a commitment to lead by example."
The idea of bringing world's major economies for climate change talks was
initiated by President George W. Bush in May 2007, when the United States was
under growing pressure to contribute more to handle the problem of greenhouse
gas emissions.
Environmentalists have accused the Bush administration of using the major
economies talks to divert UN negotiations to address climate change. While the
meeting kicked off on Wednesday, local environmental activists, experts and
others also used the international talks to launch their own campaigns.
Two dozen demonstrators stood across from the East-West Center, where the
meeting was under way, holding signs and banners with messages saying: "Clean
Energy Now for Our Children," and "Palm Oil Is Not Clean Energy."
One demonstrator dressed in a polar bear costume held a sign saying, "Save
Me."
Some local students and residents also chalked a line through a park in
central Honolulu, indicating how far flood waters might come if climate change
causes a one-meter rise of sea level.
Some climate experts believe a one-meter rise of sea level will likely
happen by the end of the century, or sooner if the melting of Greenland and
Antarctica ice continues to accelerate.
"The cost of inaction on climate change will be overwhelming for Hawaii,"
said Jeff Mikulina, Hawaii chapter director of the Sierra Club, America's
largest and most effective environmental organization.
"This line marks the amount of devastation that may occur in these
students' lifetime from sea level rise alone should we fail to act on
dramatically reducing greenhouse gas emissions," he told Xinhua, "It is time for
a sea change in our response to global warming."
