STATEMENT OF TIMOTHY E. WIRTH
President, United Nations Foundation

On the Major Global Warming Report Released Today

“The International Panel on Climate Change is one of the most sweeping and successful scientific collaborations in history.  Today’s report represents the most authoritative, consensus estimate of the world’s scientists on the issue of climate change.  These findings could not be any clearer:  human activities are altering the atmosphere and the planet is warming.  Unless we act now, with a great sense of urgency, there is a great risk that the Earth’s environmental systems will cross a tipping point beyond which costly, disruptive impacts all over the world will be inevitable.

The world’s scientists have spoken.  It is time now to hear from the world’s policymakers.   The so-called and long-overstated “debate” about global warming is now over.  We have no choice but to act.   Today's report must motivate the international community to move to a new energy economy.  We need to change the way we produce, use, and conserve energy. And we have the technology to do it. Transforming the global energy economy to harness new technologies can be the engine that drives a new era of international economic progress.  The benefits of seizing this enormous opportunity would be significant for all countries, not least the poorest countries in the world, many of which have had trouble harnessing any form of energy. Clean, renewable energy sources – from solar to biofuels – are the future.  By finding and nurturing those opportunities, we’ll create new economies and start to heal our planet.”

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About the United Nations Foundation
The UN Foundation was created in 1998 with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems and also works to broaden support for the UN through advocacy and public outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity. For a complete listing of UN Foundation grants and programs or to learn more about the United Nations Foundation, visit www.unfoundation.org.