12 December, 2010 | ACTU Media Release
Unions have secured protection of the rights of workers in the transition to a low-pollution economy in final negotiations at the United Nations climate change conference in Cancún.
ACTU President Ged Kearney said inclusion of the interests of workers in the UN documents was a breakthrough that gave hope that action on climate change on a global level was progressing.
The ACTU was part of a delegation of unions from more than 40 countries around the world and the International Trade Union Confederation that worked hard to ensure the concept of a ‘just transition’ was included in the final documents from the Cancún conference.
Ms Kearney said that while the final statements may not be perfect, the outcome was a good building block for the future and lays a firm foundation for the next phase of international negotiations and action leading into the COP17 at Durban in 2011.
The ACTU congratulates the parties for anchoring Copenhagen commitments, an important step for multilateral cooperation. The commitments cover over 80 percent of the world’s emissions and will ensure together we are on the way to decreasing pollution globally.
The commitments also reflect the fact that action is already being taken at national level around the world to respond to the challenge of climate change by reducing pollution and promoting clean energy sources.
However, more needs to be done to ensure that action on climate change meets the objective of ensuring global temperature rises remain below 2 degrees Celcius.
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