Kofi Annan: Time of Crisis and Opportunity

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kofi-annan/time-of-crisis-and-opport_b_161231.html

Kofi Annan
Posted January 27, 2009 | 12:02 PM (EST)

Time of Crisis and Opportunity

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We can waste no time. Only by working together can we hand over a healthy and sustainable planet to future generations. There must be a radical, effective and universal agreement at Copenhagen this year based on climate justice and the principle that the polluter pays.

The developed economies must accept their responsibilities to our planet and future generations. They must take the lead in cutting their emissions. They must also fund the transfer of knowledge needed to help the rest of the world to grow their economies sustainably and to adapt to the inevitable change in our climate already underway. No other approach will work.

The consequences for our children if we fail to rise to this challenge are immense. Breaking our addiction to fossil fuels and investing in green technologies will also help us deliver energy security, jobs, prosperity and sustainable economic growth.

This will, however, require robust and inclusive global economic, financial and political institutions. We need fundamental reform to involve a far wider range of countries and voices meaningfully in decision-making. Without this, the solutions reached will neither match the scale of the problems nor have the legitimacy to be effective. As the woeful international response to the conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere highlights, our structures are at present incapable of meeting the challenges of today, let alone tomorrow.

The new American administration gives us hope that, in all of these areas, progress can be made. But other governments and actors must play their part in building on this momentum. At Davos, our business and political leaders must show they understand that our world has shifted for good and that we have to change with it or perish.