In the late afternoon on day two of the international climate change talks in Durban, Figueres made a passionate case for why failure to reach an agreement was not an option: the future of humanity is at stake. She went on to stress that there is no plan B, just as there is no planet B. A nice slogan, perhaps, but a mentality which seems sadly lacking from the talks thus far, with China dealing an early blow to any hopes of a deal being struck.
After her 17 years' involvement in the UNFCC and the Kyoto protocol, it was heartening to see Figueres' genuine commitment. For me, that is what has been missing. The general public see and read the news and form a view - probably of heartless, self-interested politicians who don't really care about the cause itself. If only more of the climate-ocrats could reveal their human side as Christiana did, some of us might be more willing to forgive the lack of progress in recent years.
In the special briefing, held by the Cambridge Programme for Sustainability Leaders and one of my personal highlights from the summit's first week, Figueres was asked for her views on where business comes into all this. In a surprisingly frank response to questions from the floor, she admitted that some businesses do see their interests as threatened by the climate change agenda and the resulting emergence of new technology - you can draw your own conclusions as to who she was referring to. She went on to say that these businesses were well organised and well-funded.
However, asked about the opportunities for engaged businesses, Figueres said the business case for committing to the low-carbon economy remains very clear: climate change is not going away and it is only a matter of time until all nations recognise the benefit of committing to legally binding targets and holding each other to account. Such an agreement, she says, would be the first step of a revolution which would then require implementation by the private sector and civil society. But Figueres rightly points out that the role of the private sector is not just that of implementer; it can be the engine room which drives the change required. In particular, Figueres said she saw huge potential for businesses to make a difference in the built environment through retrofitting of existing buildings and the building of new, low-carbon, sustainable cities to meet future urbanisation and population requirements. Read the full report here.
Source: Paul Toyne, guardian.co.uk.
