President Calderón speaks 3:36 AM

Elizabeth May

Today the 16th COP on climate and 6th Meeting of the parties to Kyoto, like all meetings, the result is due to a collective effort.

Disasters called by extreme weather events have been exacerbated by climate change if we don't start acting right now, if we don't do away with the arguments for delay, here and now, we will see unbearable diaster and the loss of low-lying island states.

Events in previous conferences led to distrust, led to inertia and a sense of powerlessless. With these agreeemenst you have broken out of that inertia and found refound hope. Confidence is back. Hope has returned. Multilateralism is restored to help other issues as well.

Nobody was excluded. Nobody was excluded from the agreements. Thanks to the efforts all of you have made. Attempts were made for convergence among nearly 200 countries. The interests of indigenous peoples, environmental groups, civil society, and more were all included.

We have now taken new and unprecedented agreements within the context of the UNFCCC.

A few days ago reporters asked me if Cancun would be a success or a failure? And I said, I don't know. It could only be a success if it had trust and if people sought all they could.

Given the circumstances that we all know, given the challenge of overcoming distrust, this is a success.
We have reached agreements on a series of shared tasks.

We know we have to go beyond this in the future. (Speaking of low lying island states) We will never abandon you to your fate.

The target for the first time speaks of considering holding temperature to 1.5 degrees.

COP 16 and CMP6 is also a success in working to develop new technology while also fighting poverty.

Cancun was also a success as we saw the transfer of $30 billion of assistance. And we have agreed to have the Green Fund. One of the greatest accomplishments was the creation of mechanisms to. Reduce deforestation. REDD+.  With these mechanisms, resources will made available to help protect forests.

We will press for the nations who work within the Kyoto protocol will take their responsibilities.

There is a new spirit of trust and cooperation ...

Mexico has followed the rules scrupulously. Now we must take the next text of negotiating increasingly ambitious agreements. Mahatma Gandhi said to make progress you do not repeat history. You make new history.

This is the duty of our generation.  True sustainable development. To protect our fragile planet, Mother Earth.