26 Nov 2013

Climate conference ends with acknowledgement of clash of policy slowness

8:49 am on 26 November 2013

The United Nations' climate conference COP 19 has ended with an acknowledgement of the slowness of policy development.

Pacific Island countries spoke out at the meeting in Poland's capital Warsaw against a lack of action from developed nations to reduce carbon emissions.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change's executive secretary opened the conference saying there is a groundswell for action as the risks of inaction materialise.

But Christiana Figueres acknowledged in a final press conference how much work is still to be done.

"International policy as well as national policy does not emerge overnight, in particular when the policy addresses the greatest transformation that mankind has ever seen. We're caught in this very difficult contrast between the urgency of science and the pace of policy development."

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change's executive secretary, Christiana Figueres.