UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warns countries in Doha that window of opportunity to avoid climate change crisis is closing

New research suggests the world may not be able to stop the planet from warming 2 degrees Celsius, the previous voluntary target agreed to in 2009 during international talks in Copenhagen. A new report published this week in the journal Nature Climate Change states: “A shift to a 2 °C pathway requires immediate significant and sustained global mitigation, with a probable reliance on net negative emissions in the longer term.”

This coincides with new data on carbon emissions from the Global Carbon Project. Researchers found CO2 emissions in 2011 were “the highest in human history and 54% higher than in 1990,” the base year used in the Kyoto Protocol. The largest emitters were China, the United States, the European Union and India. Speaking from the Climate Change talks in Doha, Qatar today, UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said the window of opportunity to avoid dangerous warming is closing:

“Governments have agreed to keep global temperatures from rising more than 2 °C above pre-industrial levels. This is technically possible and it is financially viable.”

Ban Ki Moon said countries have a responsibility to reach an effective, universal and binding agreement by 2015. He called on world leaders to meet five goals:

“First, the adoption of a ratifiable second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol…”

Developing countries, many of which are already experiencing the impacts of global warming, are also pushing for stronger financial support to compensate for the damage caused by the emissions of rich countries. David Waskow manages climate change policy work with Oxfam. He said the US and President Obama is falling short at the Doha talks.

“The President needs to ensure that his negotiators here, the re-election message, and act to make it reality. Our children should not be threatened by the destructive power of a warmer planet…”

The Green Climate Fund, established following meetings in 2009 and 2010, was supposed to raise $100 billion a year by 2020. But advocates say rich countries are failing to make good on their pledges.