Earth Equity News

Commonwealth Leaders Back International Climate Change Fund and Binding Agreement. By James Robbins, BBC, November 29, 2009. "Commonwealth leaders have backed a multi-billion-dollar plan to help developing nations to deal with climate change and cut greenhouse gases. The fund, proposed by UK and French leaders at the Commonwealth summit on Friday, would start next year and build to $10 billion annually by 2012. Many Commonwealth members are island states threatened by rising sea levels. Leaders also called for the strongest possible outcome at next month's climate change summit in Copenhagen. They unanimously agreed to seek a legally binding international agreement, but accepted that 'a full legally binding outcome' might have to wait to 2010... UK Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the declaration sent a clear political message. 'The Commonwealth is showing that you can find some common ground amidst countries that are very different, large and small, rich and poor, and that climate change is an issue that affects us all, and that the world needs to show the sort of resolution that we've seen here over the past 24 hours,' he said. It added that 'fast start funding' for adaptation should be focused on the most vulnerable countries."