Rich world must support poorest countries to transition from fossil fuels much faster than they have to keep unburnable reserves in the ground, says UN climate change envoy
Mary Robinson: ‘All countries must be enabled to participate in the transition away from fossil fuels together and at the same time …’ Photograph: Jean-Marc Ferré/UN Photo
Friday 17 April 2015 07.13 EDT Last modified on Friday 17 April 2015 07.15 EDT
Tackling climate change will require developing countries to move beyond fossil fuels far more quickly than the rich world has managed, the United Nations envoy on climate change has warned.
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and ex-UN human rights chief, said: “It may seem contradictory, but to be fair all countries must be enabled to participate in the transition away from fossil fuels together and at the same time. If not, we will exceed the carbon budget and consign countries without the means to participate in the transition to renewable energy to a future based on expensive, obsolete and polluting fossil fuels.”
The poorest countries, she added, must lead the way in that transition with financial assistance from the rich world.
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