New climate talks must lead to a deal

The United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen last December was a complete failure. World leaders failed to reach a deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions, and simply focused on their nations' selfish agendas and self-serving short-term interests.

At the upcoming United Nations climate talks, to be held in Cancun, Mexico between November 29 and December 10, governments need to come together to respond to the global challenges of climate change.

They must learn from the failures of Copenhagen. People around the world need to understand that solving problems will not come without costs. The globe's biggest polluters - China, India and the US - will have to take responsibility. As climate change is a global problem, these countries have an obligation towards the world community.

China and India say economic development is a barrier to combating climate change, but the long-term consequences of not doing so will be far more serious than delayed development. Americans, meanwhile, will have to give up some creature comforts - or pay more for them.

We don't need yet more petty bickering between developed and developing nations in Cancun. Rich nations must accept to shoulder more of the burden of combating climate change than poorer ones. They must help advance green technologies in the developing world.

We all have to recognise the urgency of the issue and join hands to solve it. It won't help to keep laying the blame on other people.

I believe that despite previous failures in climate talks, we can remain optimistic that a global deal can be hammered out at Cancun. Time is running out for humanity and we cannot risk wasting yet another good opportunity to begin tackling this pressing problem in earnest at last.