UNFCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres today said governments have an unavoidable responsibility to make clear progress towards the 2011 climate objectives which they had agreed in Cancun.

Speaking on the first day of the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany Ms Figueres said: “Governments lit a beacon in Cancun towards a low-emission world which is resilient to climate change. They committed themselves to a maximum global average temperature rise of 2 degrees Celsius, with further consideration of a 1.5 degree maximum. Now, more than ever, it is critical that all efforts are mobilized towards living up to this commitment.”

Ms. Figueres drew attention to the growing momentum of global climate action which governments need to capitalize on.

She said: “Countries, including the biggest economies, are building new policies that promote low-carbon growth. The private sector continues to increase low-carbon investment and demands bigger, better ways to do more. The clean and renewable energy revolution has already begun – the challenge is to complete it in time.”

The Bonn UN Climate Change Conference (6-17 June) is being attended by more than three thousand participants from 183 countries, including government delegates, representatives from business and industry, environmental organisations and research institutions.