Get moving on climate plans, U.N. says

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DURBAN, South Africa, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- World governments are expected to take significant steps toward building an effective mechanism to address climate change, a U.N. official said in South Africa.

Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, said from Durban, South Africa, the site a November conference on climate change, that world leaders are expected to make strides on their commitments to a low-carbon economy.

"There has to be a clear decision as to how the global collective effort, not only of industrialized countries, but how the global collective effort to reduce emissions will go forward and how that will be done in a transparent manner, with greater ambition growing over time," she said.

Figueres added that some of the commitments on the Kyoto Protocol are set to expire. Governments, meanwhile, need to define rules that would determine if their climate change initiatives are on par with efforts to keep expected temperature increases in check.

She noted that financing would top the agenda at the Durban conference. As much as $100 billion a year is needed by 2020.

"The world really expects governments to take the next significant steps in building an effective global system to address climate change in Durban," added Figueres.