José Manuel Barroso: "Climate change is a global threat requiring a global response"

In view of the UN climate conference which will take place in Durban, South Africa, at the end of the year, José Manuel Barroso has identified "three major elements that are key to making Durban a success". Speaking at the Leaders' Dialogue on Climate Change in New York, the Commission President stressed the need to "make Cancún real", "tackle the Cancún leftovers" and "preserve the environmental integrity of Kyoto, with new conditions on forestry accounting rules, and on the surplus of emission rights from the first Kyoto period".

José Manuel Barroso also pointed out that "a second Kyoto period will not work if only the EU signs up. With just 11% of global emissions, the EU alone cannot solve the problem of global warming". "So, in reality, the question is not a second Kyoto commitment or not: the question is about creating a legal framework for all countries", he added.

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• SPEECH/11/591: Full text of speech