1. AMBITIOUS
According to the Coalition, statements that have been made on greenhouse gas emission reduction are not ambitious enough in order to keep the increase of global temperature below 2°C. It requires reduction by at least 40% by 2020 and 90% by 2050 in comparison with 1990. „It is estimated that if countries keep their current proposals of commitments, in 2020 world emission will increase by 42%. The probability of exceeding the temperature increase by 2°C will reach 100%, probability of increasing it by 3°C - 50%” – says dr Andrzej Kassenberg from the Institute for Sustainable Development, a member of Climate Coalition. „At the same time limiting emission through transformation towards green economy will bring savings and innovations as well as contribute to creation of new jobs and improvement of health conditions. Therefore, our future depends on ambitious decisions made in Copenhagen” – adds Kassenberg.
2. JUST
„In order to make the agreement just rich countries, whose development based on fossil fuels has led to climate crisis, should do most in order to cut global emission” – says Aleksandra Antonowicz from Polish Green Network, a member of Climate Coalition. „Poland and other wealthy countries have moral obligation to provide money and technologies thanks to which poor countries – the least responsible and the most affected – will be able to develop in a sustainable way, adapt to climate change consequences and stop deforestation”. According to Climate Coalition, assistance for these purposes should amount to at least €110bn euro annually by 2020. It should be additional to the previously promised official development aid so that countries of the Global South did not have to choose between building schools and anti-flood systems. The assistance fund should be administered by the UN in order to ensure just representation of the aid donors and recipients in the institutions responsible for managing it.
3. LEGALLY BINDING
According to the Coalition, if new agreement is only a sum of political declarations instead of a legally binding document, it will not yield pressure that would allow to actually reduce emissions and ensure financial support for developing countries. Politicians will probably call Copenhagen a success even though there will be no binding guarantee of this success. „The Copenhagen agreement has to be a legally binding document, open for ratification, encompassing the Kyoto Protocol together with amendments as well as the Copenhagen Protocol and decision package on its implementation. We appeal to Prime Minister Tusk who represents Poland for acting in favour of such ambitious, just and legally binding agreement in Copenhagen” – sums up dr Zbigniew Karaczun from Polish Ecological Club Mazovian Branch, a member of Climate Coalition.

Position is available on Climate Coalition’s website:
http://koalicjaklimatyczna.org/lang/ang/page/publications/id/47/

Contact:
Andrzej Kassenberg, Institute for Ecodevelopment, a.kassenberg@ine-isd.org.pl
Ola Antonowicz, Polish Green Network, ola@globalnepoludnie.pl
Zbigniew Karaczun, Polish Ecological Club Mazovian Branch, zbigniew_karaczun@sggw.pl