By XINHUA,
Beijing : Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao has warned against slackening global efforts to address climate change on the plea of economic slowdown.
“As the global financial crisis spreads and worsens, and the world economy slows down, the international community must not waver in its determination to tackle climate change, nor must they ease up in their actions,” Wen told a high-level conference on climate change that opened in here Friday.
He urged developed nations to take responsibility and carry out their obligations in addressing climate change, including changing their unsustainable way of life.
Wen also asked developed nations to help developing countries cope with the global climate change.
The conference, scheduled to run through Saturday, is jointly organized by the Chinese government and the United Nations to facilitate international cooperation on technology development and transfer as well as international negotiations on climate change.
The conference will cover a wide range of topics, including the status of technology transfer and best practices, mechanisms for overcoming barriers to technology transfers, and the roles and potential collaboration of public and private sectors.
Delegates are expected to draw up a proclamation on climate change, which will serve as a reference to the upcoming United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Poland next month.
“Climate change is the defining challenge of our time. Our actions will go a long way toward determining whether we will truly rise to the challenge, or bequeath to succeeding generations a problem growing ever more dire,” said UN Undersecretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Sha Zukang.