Difficult First Week of Negotiations at the Climate Change Conference in Cancún

Bern, 03.12.2010 - The first week of negotiations at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in the Mexican city of Cancún have shown that the search for a solution to the problem of climate change remains very difficult. The President of the Swiss Confederation, Doris Leuthard, will represent the Swiss position during the second week of the conference on 8 and 9 December.

The verdict of the Swiss delegation at the end of the first week of the UN Climate Change Conference, which is taking place from 29 November to 10 December 2010 in Cancún Mexico, is muted. "The negotiations are extremely difficult, in particular because certain developing countries are trying to slow down the process and block attempts to find a solution," says Franz Perrez, Head of the Swiss negotiating delegation in Cancún.

Stalemate on the question of avoiding greenhouse gases

According to Franz Perrez the main problem concerns the future avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions, e.g. CO2, which have detrimental effects on the climate. The industrialised states (including Switzerland), which have already committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol, are only willing to commit to further reductions if the newly industrialised countries and the USA also commit to certain measures. A solution to this problem does not appear to be in prospect in Cancún.

In relation to the question of finance, Switzerland presented a proposal on Thursday, 2 December 2010 that shows how a solution capable of gaining majority support could be developed by the 17th UN Climate Change Conference in South Africa in 2011. The questions that require clarification in this regard include, in particular, how a future climate fund would relate to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), how this fund would be resourced, the contributions of the public and private sectors and the management of such a fund.

Swiss President Doris Leuthard travels to ministerial segment

The ministerial segment of the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancún takes place from 7 to 10 December. Doris Leuthard, President of the Swiss Confederation and Head of the Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications (DETEC), will attend the conference on 8 and 9 December 2010. She will address the plenary assembly, hold bilateral meetings at presidential and ministerial levels and is also expected to visit the Swiss solar yacht Tûranor.


Address for enquiries

Franz Perrez, Leader of the Swiss negotiating delegation, +41 (0)79 251 90 15



Publisher

Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications
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