Bonn Talks Open With Call for Incremental Change

2 August 2010 | BONN | UN Climate-Change Boss Christiana Figueres has called for realistic, incremental improvement in opening her first round of climate-change talks since taking the reigns from Yvo de Boer on July 8.

“We cannot cross the ocean on a single gust of wind, but if we don’t raise the sails now, we may never discover a safer world,” she said. “Time is not on our side. Decisions need to be taken, perhaps in an incremental manner.”

Target Progress in Five Areas

She also identified five key areas where she believes governments can move forward in this week’s talks:

1. They can convert public pledges into bona fide action plans.
2. They can agree on means of bringing the developing world into the process.
3. Industrialized nations can put up the money pledged in previous meetings.
4. They can agree on ways to make sure that emission reductions are measured, reported and verified in a transparent and accountable way.
5. They can find a way to agree on enforcement mechanisms for some reductions.

Her opening statements to the press are streamed here: