London, 11 June 2012, edie - A high-level climate change task force has
warned that world leaders must do more to react to climate change,
and calls for the Rio+ 20 conference to take threat
seriously.
The Climate Change Task Force (CCTF), which consists of
scientists, economists, former heads of state, Nobel Prize
laureates, as well as climate and sustainable development experts
from developed and developing countries, aims to encourage
political change to address climate change.
As a result, it has launched an appeal calling for the
United Nations (UN) sustainable development conference in Brazil to
"prioritise action against the drivers of global warming", and
argues that climate change must be positioned in the "wider
context" of sustainable economic and social
development.
Former Soviet President and Nobel Prize laureate Mickhail
Gorbachev, said: "The Climate Change Task Force is appealing to the
heads of state and decision-makers at the Rio+20 conference to
ensure that the climate change challenge is put clearly onto the
agenda and that a strong political commitment is made to take
action against this threat."
The appeal has been endorsed by more than 30 influential
figures from a variety of fields, including Sir David King, former
chief scientific adviser to the UK prime minister, Dmitri
Zenghelis, chief economist at Cisco Climate Change Practice,
European Union climate commissioner Connie Hedegaard,
environmentalist David Suzuki, former Netherlands prime minister
Ruud Lubbers, Ashok Khosla, president of the International Union
for Conservation of Nature, Konrad Otto-Zimmermann, secretary
general of Local Governments for Sustainability, and Alexander
Likhotal, president of Green Cross
International.
Mr Likhotal said: "The United Nations is highlighting the
urgent need for action, stating that little or no progress has been
made on climate change, desertification, drought, fish stocks and
dozens of internationally agreed goals and objectives to support
sustainable management of the environment and improve human well
being. But leadership means not just recognition of the problem,
but about offering a solution to resolve the
problem."
The Appeal is set to be followed by the release of the Task
Force's first joint statement on 'Action to Face the Urgent
Realities of Climate Change' on June 18