Bairbre de Brún MEP with the European United Left/Nordic Green Left Group in the European Parliament  has welcomed the progress made in Cancún, with the adoption of the Cancún Agreement, while warning that much work needs to be done if we are to see the necessary ambition and the necessary detail in the coming months.

Speaking as the deal was sealed at the UN Climate talks in Cancun, Ms de Brún said:

"Many who came here feared that we would once again come away without agreement and that the very process would lose force and credibility.

"We have now got a base to work from and for that we should be glad. However, we should not fool ourselves that we are anywhere near where we need to be. A lot of work must now be done if we are to reach the required level of ambition and of detail in the months ahead.

"World leaders and governments need to take up the challenge now and ensure that we can have an ambitious post 2012 climate deal.

"Governments also need to take domestic action to alter the patterns that got us into this mess while supporting the most vulnerable countries to cope with increasing climate change damage.

"In the EU, that means going immediately to a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 while looking to build on that. We need to do that not only to help a global deal but also for our own sake, in order to remain competitive.

"It also means enabling developing countries to leap frog the dirty development path we followed and to develop in a sustainable way"

Bolivia has said that it opposes the deal, and that the compromise is not a step forward but a step backwards

 
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Gauche Unitaire Européenne/Nordic Green Left
European Parliamentary Group