GLOBAL – The climate change conference in Doha, Qatar, can be the bridge between the old system with commitments by developed countries and voluntary climate action by developing countries, believes the EU commissioner for climate action.

Speaking with IPE after the IPE Awards Seminar in Copenhagen last week, Connie Hedegaard said: "We hope we can build this bridge through Europe by having a second commitment period [to the Kyoto Protocol], which we are ready to do, and [start] preparing the new system where we are not discussing developed and developing countries [separately] but where we recognise that all of us have a responsibility.

"Rich countries will have to do more than poor countries, but all of us will have to take part in solving this problem, and we all have to make commitments. That was the achievement we had in Durban, and that is where Doha should move forward."

Hedegaard also said the target of limiting a global temperature increase to 2 degrees Celsius was still realistic despite some reports suggesting the contrary.

"It is not beyond that now, but it is clear that, the longer it takes for the world to do what the world needs to do, the more difficult it will be to stay below the 2 degrees.

"But don't forget that it was only less than three years ago that the world leaders in Copenhagen adopted the 2 degrees target.

"We should treat a climate goal just like we treat the economic goals. If you have an economic goal in a state, and the state is not on track to meet it, then you do not say 'why don't we just change the goals?'.

"No, you say 'we need some more tools, we need some more means, we need some more positives, we need some more actions' – it is exactly [what] we should do with climate [targets]."

Hedegaard said she hoped policy decisions could be speeded up, although she admitted formal decisions could be difficult to reach.

"When you take one step back to where we were five years ago, things are progressing," she added. "You will have a hard time these days finding a major city in Europe or a major company [without] a climate policy. That was [different] five years ago – today, it is built into daily politics."

The 18th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol opened on 26 November and continues until 7 December 2012 in Doha, Qatar.

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