UNEP says climate deal to elevate sustainability agenda

The sustainability agenda will be elevated to new heights globally if governments agree on a binding climate treaty later in the year, Executive Director of UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Achim Steiner said on Tuesday.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the 41st session of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in Nairobi, Steiner stressed that a global consensus on a new climate treaty was required to rejuvenate the green agenda.

"We must link climate change response to the broader post 2015 development agenda. Adoption of a legally binding climate treaty will strengthen green economy," Steiner told journalists in Nairobi.

Policymakers and scientists attended the forum to discuss the future of the UN affiliated panel that advises governments on climate science.

Steiner noted that compelling scientific evidence illustrates mortal threats to livelihoods and ecosystems if green house gas emissions are not tamed.

"The mainstream consensus among policy and scientific authorities is that societies are staring at a calamity if we do not act on rising temperatures," Steiner said.

The momentum towards the establishment of a new climate treaty has gathered pace as countries agree on the need to lower carbon emissions and avert natural calamities.

Steiner observed that scientific evidence has triggered the urgency to agree on a climate treaty among political leaders and captains of industry.

"The differences among politicians and industry leaders have narrowed as the devastations triggered by climate change come to the surface. This consensus will hasten the establishment of a new climate treaty," Steiner told delegates.

A progressive legal instrument will strengthen response to climate change and create vast opportunities in the green economy.

Kenya's cabinet secretary for environment Judi Wakhungu noted that a new climate treaty will spur investments in green technologies.

"A legally binding climate treaty will facilitate technology transfer and capacity building to accelerate green growth in developing countries," Wakhungu said.