UN climate change talks begin

At the opening of the UN Climate Change Conference in Poznań, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said that the European Union is "very close" to a deal on a new climate package, which is to be agreed on at the summit next week.

During the two week conference, approximately 190 national delegations will seek concessions on details of a plan to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, in such a way that at the next summit in Copenhagen leaders will be able to adopt the plan.

Tusk reminded everyone that the slogan of the conference is "Solidarity for climate." "Today, in Poland we are thinking of a new solidarity, global solidarity that's important to human kind. Tackling climate change, environment protection which requires a new version of solidarity," Tusk said.

He stressed that Poland has from 1998 to 2007 reduced its CO2 emissions by 30 percent, considering the fact that Polish energy sector has been dependent on coal. Poland relies heavily on high-carbon coal, where 94 percent of its electricity comes from coal. Poland backs cutting greenhouse gas emissions by fifth, provided that it doesn't impose high costs on coal plants and it doesn't cripple the Polish economy. "We feel that in the first stage we should invest maximum resources and energy in limiting the carbon emissions [from] coal power plants, but without the risk of closing those plants," Tusk said.

He also emphasized that the current financial crisis should not interfere with the goal to tackle climate change. "We must understand, and let this idea be a landmark of this conference, that financial crises have happened in the past and will happen in the future," he said.

Source: TVN24