UN officials warn of market’s affect on climate battle

Two UN officials discussed how efforts to cut carbon emissions could be put in jeopardy by fears of an economic downturn.

Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Rajendra Pachauri, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland expressed his concern that world leaders would become preoccupied by the short-term search for jobs and economic growth, calling on leaders to ensure they don’t lose sight of the “reality” of climate change.

His main worry was that stock market instability could threaten the progress made in climate change thus far.

Pachauri further attacked the current EU plans made to cut emissions by 20% by 2020 saying that these cuts do not fulfil expectations. He claimed that although these figures may seem acceptable today, the figures may not seem so acceptable in a few years time.

Yvo De Boar, who last year chaired the Balti Climate Change Conference, declared how it is now that is the time to be confident and “push through” changes, demanding a Marshall plan for climate change.