INTERNATIONAL TRADE UNION CONFEDERATION
ITUC OnLine
224/181209
Climate Change – Leaders Must “Go the Extra Distance”
Brussels, 18 December 2009 (ITUC OnLine): With the Copenhagen Climate Summit drawing to a close, the international
trade union movement has urged governments to “go the extra distance” to settle their differences and work together to
avoid catastrophic climate change. ITUC President Sharan Burrow addressed the Summit Plenary today, welcoming the
support expressed by negotiators for a just transition to a low carbon future, as a key basis for building further
support for action. The full text of her remarks follows:
“World leaders here in Copenhagen can today make history and give our children and grandchildren a fighting chance at a
stable future.
Working people around the world and their families are watching. They are depending on you to commit to a binding
agreement that delivers a habitable planet, decent work and financial support for the most vulnerable; an historic
legacy, right here, today in Copenhagen.
Trade unions support the highest ambitions for binding targets in developed countries and ambitious actions in
developing nations that must limit the temperature rise to 2 degrees or less. We urge nations to accept transparency, to
ensure trust through a global treaty finalized in the first half of 2010. Wealthy nations must lay the foundations for
that trust with the finance and technology to kick start low carbon development, the investment to ensure climate
resilience, employment and decent work.
Those investments will transform our economies and create millions of new jobs as we rebuild after the devastation of
the global financial crisis. We must all take responsibility in this global challenge.
Delegates, we would like to express our satisfaction that this process has recognised the importance of calling for a
Just Transition as a driver for decent work and good quality job creation. We thank those Parties that understood the
potential of this paragraph for building a broad support for climate action.
The International Trade Union Confederation and its members are expecting and indeed relying on our presidents and prime
ministers to put aside their differences, to stand as leaders and go the extra distance to do their fair share. Failure
is not an option for our future so it cannot be an option for you. History will judge you on what you do today but more
immediately so will we.”
ends