”Det kan aldrig vara försent”

FN:s undergeneralsekreterare chattade med aftonbladet.se:s läsare

Alla världens länder måste gå samman för att hindra den globala uppvärmningen.

Och det är bråttom, men inte försent.

Det var några av budskapen när Achim Steiner, FN:s undergeneralsekreterare och chef för miljöprogrammet UNEP chattade med aftonbladet.se:s läsare.

Enligt Steiner spelar FN en mycket viktig roll i arbetet mot klimathotet.

– Utan FN hade vi inte ens kunnat nå Kyotoöverenskommelsen.

Steiner, som själv gått med i Aftonbladets klimatkampanj, passade på att skicka en speciell hälsning till de svenska läsarna.

– I UNEP ser vi Sverige och dess medborgare som pionjärer för hållbar utveckling.

Achim Steiner säger: Good afternoon to Sweden. I'm very pleased to be online from Nairobi at the climate change conference.

domedagen säger: How long time do we have to change our way of life before it's to late? Or is it already to late?

Achim Steiner säger: It can never be too late. But we have already lost a lot of time. But as we have shown with the ozone layer 20 years ago, when we discovered the big hole we can take corrective action. Here we succeded in 20 years to phase out 90 procent of all ozone destroying substances world wide.

Christer Ljungberg säger: What do you think is the most important task in fighting the climate change?

Achim Steiner säger: There are two tasks at hand. One is to conclude that the global framework for combating climate change is supported by all nations of the world. Secondly, the other approach is that citizens take action to change national energy policies, national transport policies as two examples of major contributors of CO2-emissions.

Datish säger: Hello, do you think that biogas can be the future fuel in cars? Do you have any opinions about it? // Datish from Linköping

Achim Steiner säger: It has all ready become an option in a number of countries. But the great challenge for us is to ensure that as we expand biofuel production it remains a sustainable form of energy production. A massive increase in biofuel production needs to be managed in the context of it's impacts on landwater resources and in developing countries food production.

BreakStuff säger: Is there really any point to like, change your lightbulbs and drive less, if the big companys all around the world keep letting out as much pollution?

Achim Steiner säger: First of all changing a lightbulb can make a difference. In America if every household was to change one lightbulb with lowenergy lightbulbs it would correspond to the CO2-emissions produced by one million cars for a hole year. So changing one lightbulb makes a different. And in the end companies would change their behavour if they beleive that their costumers care. I am an optimist that companies are all ready beginning to change the way they do buisness because if they don't they will be out of buisness in the future.

Linn säger: Biogas is not strong enough to run the airplanes, but there is fuel that can work as a substitute for oil. Synthetic bio diesel it's called and will be the fuel for the future, do UNEP heard of this? Linn from Lund in Libera

Achim Steiner säger: Yes, we have. There is no single fuel that will dominate the market in the future. The technology is developing so quickly that new options will become part of the energy-mix.

Niklas säger: Hello MR Steiner. Could you please give some examples as to what the UN are doing to prevent a climate change disaster

Achim Steiner säger: As we speek the UN is trying to mediate climate-action here in Nairobi under the umbrella of the UN-convention to combate climate change. Without the UN we would not even have reached the agreement of the Kyoto-protocol which have led to specific commitments to reduce emissions of CO2. Another example is how the UN and UNEP is assisting countries in developing alternative technologies and supplies. Another example is a campaign we have lounged today in Naibori to support citizens across the world to plant one billion trees in the year 2007. These are just three examples of how from the highlevel policy to concrete action on the ground we are trying to make a difference.

Charot säger: Är det så farligt med koldioxid utsläpp. Vad jag har läst så står havet för 90% av utsläppet. Och sedan, jorden har ju ständigt haft klimatförändringar och att vi just nu bara lever i en lugn period. Hur svarar ni på detta?

Achim Steiner säger: The increase in the CO2-emissions is really serious. We have reached a level of emissions which are double of the amount in the preindustrial time. Global warming later indicates that we are facing temperature increases not seen for one million years. There is no longer any doubts that this increase is largley related to human activity. We must therefore get this under control. The CO2 that you refer to in the seas is currently trapped in the seas and not released into the atmosphere. However climate change could lead to further releases from the seas making the situation even worse.

Achim Steiner säger: Thank you and goodbye. In UNEP we often looks to Sweden and its citizens as pioneers in environmental sustainability. Best wishes to all of you.

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