On Monday, President Simonetta Sommaruga, along with over 140 other heads of state and government from around the world, opened the 21st UN Climate Change Conference. In her speech, President Sommaruga stressed that climate change poses a serious threat to our planet. Switzerland, too, is directly affected: "Our glaciers are melting and retreating further every year." This could have severe consequences for Switzerland.
Ms Sommaruga expressed the conviction that the climate conference in Paris presents an historic opportunity and that the international community now has to agree on a climate convention that obliges all states to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. She stressed that it is the shared responsibility of all states to protect the climate for future generations, and went on to say that this requires a legally binding, dynamic and fair climate agreement.
Two-week conference
The UN Climate Conference takes place in Paris between 30 November and 11 December. Over the next two weeks, the 196 parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change have to agree on the key elements of an international climate agreement for the period after 2020. Agreement hinges on three key aspects: reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases, that are responsible for global warming; adapting to climate change; and supporting the climate policies of developing countries through financial support and technology transfer. Federal Councillor Doris Leuthard will attend the negotiations in the last week of the conference. The previously announced national goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions are not enough to limit global warming to below 2 degrees by 2100. In order to actually achieve these goals, Switzerland is actively involved in developing common rules to set and monitor them.
Last modification 30.11.2015
