Copenhagen, Denmark. March 12, 2009

End section of a statement by Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen at the closing of the Copenhagen Climate Convention.

“A global agreement in Copenhegen, is not just about tackling climate change. It will constitute a new era in multilateral relations. It will be a unique occasion to construct a global solution based on mutual responsibility to act and to assist. People demand action.

Goverment must realize that it is in their interest to act. Government will fall if they fail. Politics must not be in the way of necessary solutions. The world needs better goverment.

So in conclusion, let me repeat the key messages:

• Urgency. We must come to an agreement here in Copenhagen in December.
• Direction. We must set a long term target.
• Action. We must commit to short term efforts.
• Fairness. The rich must assist the poor.
• Opportunity. Green growth is the future.
• Governance. If we fail to act, we fall.

Thank you.”

Copenhagen, Denmark. March 11, 2009

James Hansen fields a question during one of the many parallel sessions during the Copenhagen climate conference, a meeting aimed at consolidating the new scientific findings that have emerged since the fourth IPCC report of 2007. He recommends phasing out coal use as part of a strategy to avoid the positive feedbacks which emerge as the climate warms.

James Hansen in Copenhagen