Writers, photographers, musicians and actors have appealed to politicians and diplomats to set aside differences and reach agreement in the UN climate change talks which resume next week in Cancún, Mexico.
"Important progress was made in Copenhagen last year but not nearly enough. In Cancún, you can make history," the celebrities write in a letter to the Guardian. The group includes the author Ian McEwan and actors Bill Nighy, Scarlett Johansson and Kristin Davis as well as others from Mexico, Benin, Panama and Denmark.
The letter went on: "For millions of people on the frontlines of climate change, the time since Copenhagen has been the year from sheer hell as floods, droughts, fires, storms and other extreme weather events have wiped out crops and destroyed the livelihoods of some of the poorest people in the world. We know that the destructive impacts of climate change will mean more misery and pain for the world's poor, and increasing instability and insecurity around the world unless action is taken. As you prepare for a new round of talks in Cancún next week, it is abundantly clear that you must do better. And fast."
The 10 days of ministerial-level talks will be much lower-key than last year when 130 world leaders went to Copenhagen but reached only a weak, hotly-disputed deal. This year ministers from 193 countries hope to lay the groundwork for a legal agreement in 2012. Although agreement on a global deal to reduce carbon emissions still looks remote, there are hopes that significant progress will be made on sharing new low-carbon technology; payments to forest nations to stop deforestation and funding to developing nations to finance climate adaptation.
