Train takes climate change campaigners to Copenhagen

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Train takes climate change campaigners to Copenhagen

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05 December,2009 07:34 pm

The Climate Express, carrying 400 delegates from the world of politics, business and innovation, sets off for the historic Copenhagen climate talks. There are a just few days to go before the start of the climate talks in Copenhagen and the international railways union (UIC) has put on a special train to transport 400 people there from Brussels. It will stop over at Aachen, Cologne, Hamburg, Padborg and Roskilde before it arrives in the Danish capital. The Climate Express was the brainchild of the UIC's director, Jean Pierre Loubinoux, who says the train journey is a symbolic act to remind people that they too can contribute to cutting down CO2 levels by leaving their cars behind. The Climate Express is sponsored by The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Spain's mountain biking champion, Miriam Luna, was on hand to give her support as well. She is cycling all the way to Copenhagen from Madrid, for the talks. But for the United Nations, Copenhagen is a huge step in the right direction. The head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, Yvo de Boer said Copenhagen showed the momentum for change was bigger than ever. UN Under Secretary, Achim Steiner, who is also taking the Climate Express said that momentum was all the more encouraging as most countries were going through a deep economic crisis. The UIC president, Yoshio Ishida, started the symbolic journey to Copenhagen from Kyoto where, in 1997, leaders of 37 industrialised countries and the EU signed an international agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. As many at 190 countries will be at the Copenhagen summit, which begins on Monday, to try and avert climate change in the future. But the sheer size of the measures needed to do that, coupled with splits between rich and poor, mean a historic UN pact to fight global warming and ease dependence on fossil fuels may end up being put off in favour of a less binding declaration.