What does WWF want from the talks? Food, water and energy. For all. Forever. http://wwf.panda.org/cop17

Video: Tasneem Essop, leader of WWF international climate team, on the problematic countries for a 2nd period of the Kyoto Protocol.

United States need to step up: While many believe that no one in the US government is committed to an ambitious outcome at COP17 in Durban, 53 members of Congress drafted a letter last week urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner to support a strong outcome. The letter calls for the Administration to establish a Green Climate Fund and urges progress on long-term sources of finance, including from the aviation and shipping sectors. 

Dear Secretary Clinton: CEOs from 16 environmental and development groups sent a letter to the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, warning that the administration’s negotiating positions on the mandate for future negotiations and climate finance at COP17 threaten to impede the global cooperation needed to address climate change.

Canada Stands Alone: If other countries adopted [Canadian Environment] Minister Kent’s position, the result would be a series of voluntary pledges instead of a binding agreement. At a time when even the International Energy Agency is pointing out that we are way off track on meeting global commitments and that the window is closing rapidly on the ability to stay under the shared goal of limiting warming to 2°C, it is hard to imagine how Minister Kent’s preferred path can possibly result in the kind of increased ambition and action even Minster Kent suggests is needed. Read WWF's statement here.