International Climate Negotiations Kick Off In Poland

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Delegates from nearly 190 countries are gathering in Poland December
1-12 to negotiate a pathway out of the climate crisis.

The United Nations Climate
Change Conference in Poznan is the halfway
mark in the two-year negotiations to update the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The
world leaders have set a December 2009 deadline to complete a new global
climate treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The early December conference will launch a very intense
year of climate negotiations leading up to a conclusion at the UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen in
2009.

Attending the Poznan conference are members of Congress, including Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and
Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who have been designated by President-elect Barack
Obama to report back about the status of the negotiations.

“America is back,” said Kerry, emphasizing the election of Barack Obama signals U.S. intent to
take a leadership role on climate change. “After eight years of obstruction and
delay and denial, the United States is going to rejoin the world
community in tackling this global challenge.”

The international community is now working in earnest to set
the stage for rapid action in the New Year. Despite the economic crisis, now we
have an opportunity to turn the page to a new economy using new initiatives and
technology that will revive the United States.

Larry Schweiger, President and CEO of National Wildlife Federation, has been made
chair of a coalition of 29 of the nation’s most prominent conservation groups.
Schweiger will lead NWF’s advocacy in Poznan,
highlighting the urgency of action and pressing delegates to launch an
ambitious agenda for 2009.

He will also lead a workshop called Voices of Conservation
and Development on Adaptation Strategy. This public event on Monday, December 8
highlights the interdependence of conservation and development in strategies
for global adaptation to climate change.