Dr Albert Binger Permanent Mission of Grenada to the United Nations 22 October, New York - The world’s threatened island states today demanded the immediate engagement of world leaders to secure a robust and legally-binding climate deal at December’s Copenhagen Climate Summit. Responding to suggestions earlier this week that more time is needed to strike a formal climate agreement for post-2012, the 43-member Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) expressed strong concern that any further delay risks creating an endless cycle of international talks, similar to the Doha Round in the WTO. Ambassador Dessima Williams, Permanent Representative of Grenada to the United Nations in New York and current AOSIS Chair, said “Backsliding to a weaker ‘Plan B’ is not an option. We call on all Parties to use the upcoming climate talks in Barcelona to lift their sights and ambitions. We have a moral and political responsibility to make Copenhagen the success that the world expects.” Ambassador Williams congratulated UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown for his call to world leaders earlier this week to engage directly in negotiations to secure a deal in Copenhagen, and to confirm their participation at the Climate Summit in December. Some small island nations have already announced that their top political leaders are expected to attend the Copenhagen talks, including Grenada, Micronesia, Palau, the Marshall Islands, as well as President Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldives, who recently held an underwater cabinet meeting to draw attention to rising sea levels. “We congratulate Prime Minister Brown for his leadership. Others must now respond to his call”, said Ambassador Williams. “Picking and choosing elements of a deal for listing in a soft political declaration is insufficient. The climate crisis we face demands hard, legal emission reduction targets and financial commitments. Put simply, the failure to deliver ambitious legally binding outcomes in Copenhagen will threaten the survival of small island states.” Ambassador Williams also stressed that delaying action on climate change would increase the costs. “We heard recently from the International Energy Agency that every year of delay adds $500 billion to the bill for reducing emissions between now and 2030”, she said. Island nations, joined by the Group of Least Developed Countries and other vulnerable nations, have called for global warming to be limited to 1.5°C or less above pre-industrial temperatures. Large emitters have indicated a preference for a 2°C limit, but recent science indicates that this would threaten the existence of a number of low-lying island states, and cause massive damage to the world’s coral reefs.