面對氣候變遷 世界經濟論壇領袖承諾實際行動

U.S. Senator John McCain told the closing session of the World Economic Forum Sunday that he expects the U.S. Congress to take action on climate change very soon, and predicted that the Bush administration will follow suit.The Annual Meeting closed on an "upbeat mood" with the co-chairs pledging on behalf of the 2,400 participants to use their positions of leadership to turn commitments on the top issues of climate change, global trade and globalization into action.

Opening the Forum on January 24, German Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke in her capacity as G8 president and head of the European Union Ppresidency. She said that globalization is a force for good but that all countries must be treated fairly and integrated into the global economy.

In respect to climate change, Merkel said, "zero growth is not the answer, but rather enhanced innovation," adding that "new technology for energy efficiency is absolutely necessary." Both Merkel and Blair, who hosted the G8 in 2005, advocated expanding the small influential club of nations at the core of much of the world's political and economic decisionmaking.

At a special session on climate Thursday, China and India reaffirmed their support for reducing the effects of climate change, while a leading insurance executive urged transfer of clean energy technologies to the world’s two major emerging economies.

Zhang Xiaoqiang, vice-chairman of China's National Development and Reform Commission, stressed that his country intends to follow the Kyoto Protocol, although China is not one of the industrialized countries that is legally bound to do so.

Montek Ahluwalia, deputy chairman of the Planning Commission of India, reported that India is increasingly turning to nuclear power to cut its emissions, and that India’s strategy is similar to that of China. India also expects to suffer from the effects of global warming, Ahluwalia declared. "It’s clear that business as usual is not going to work."

Market solutions will prevail, Jacques Aigrain, CEO of the reinsurance giant Swiss Re said, encouraging politicians not to hide behind global agreements. "Global agreements are the best way to get nowhere," he said. "It’s true in business and even more true in international politics. Let’s take concrete steps, like the ones in California."

After four brainstorming sessions dedicated to exploring the shifting power equation, the underlying theme of this year’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, climate change was voted the issue that will have the greatest impact in the coming years.

Annual Meeting participants broke into small groups to discuss which shift would have the greatest global impact in the coming years. They created a short list of important changes that are currently underway in business, technology, society and the global economy and then voted for the most important.

"Climate change is one of the greatest challenges that we face," said World Economic Forum Managing Director Ged Davis. "We need to bring governments and non-state actors together to offer innovative solutions."