A cameraman shoots the "Climate Express" in Brussels, capital of Belgium, Dec. 5, 2009. Over 400 passengers, including the delegates to the summit, UN officials, environmentalists and journalists, boarded the train. The activity was jointly held by the International Railway Union, the United Nations Environment Programme, the World Wildlife Fund and other organizations. [Photo: Xinhua/Xu Suhui]
"Train to Copenhagen", a one- month and 9,000 kilometer-long train journey from Kyoto to Copenhagen, came to its climax on Saturday as the Climate Express arrived at the central station of the Danish capital city.
The International Union of Railways (UIC), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and the global conservation organization WWF launched the symbolic journey in late September to document the impacts of climate change and raise awareness of low-carbon transport solutions.
The project is done in partnership with the "Seal the Deal!" campaign led by the UN to galvanize political will and public support for reaching a comprehensive global climate agreement at the UN climate change conference (COP 15) in Copenhagen which will kick off on Monday.
"Today no one questions the importance of fighting climate change. It is a global issue. We are all concerned as individuals and as business players. Emissions from transport are growing fast, and as representatives of the industry we have a special responsibility to fulfill. The rail sector as the low carbon transport mode is ready to be part of the solution," said Jean- Pierre Loubinoux, Director General of UIC.
Train operators from around the world participated in the Train to Copenhagen campaign with the aim of raising awareness of transport's influence on climate change.
The transport sector is a major producer of CO2 emissions, already accounting for over one-fifth of global CO2 emissions. These emissions are projected to double within only 40 years.
Railways are crucial in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and in developing sustainable transport systems.
"The Train to Copenhagen is symbolic of the long journey we have taken in addressing climate change since Kyoto. We know where we are heading, but world leaders need to add much more steam to guarantee a fair, ambitious, and binding climate deal in Copenhagen," said Kim Carstensen, Leader of WWF's Global Climate Initiative.
The campaign kicked off on Nov. 5 with the UIC Climate Change and Rail Seminar in the Japanese city of Kyoto -- the birthplace of the current Climate Change Protocol, the current commitment period of which is due to end in 2012.
A small team of environmental experts, NGOs and journalists started from Kyoto and a few days later boarded the Trans-Siberian Express in Vladivostok, east Russia.
During the 10-day journey crossing Siberia and other regions, the group stopped at Irkutsk, Novosibirsk, Yekaterinburg, Novgorod and ended their journey in Moscow early this month.
Each stop gave the team an opportunity to meet the local environment authorities, experts and journalists, discover innovative railway technologies, and witness the impact of climate change on the Russian territories.
From Moscow the team joined the "Climate Express" going to Copenhagen, thereby linking East and West via the Trans-Siberian Railway, one of the key international corridors bridging Asia and Europe.
The Climate Express is an on-board conference on climate change with special focus on the role of transport, departing from Brussels on Dec. 5 at 9:10a.m. (GMT0810) and arriving 14 hours later in Copenhagen.
The Climate Express, which was be powered by 100 percent renewable energy, took on board more than 400 climate change negotiators, campaigners and other high-profile personalities going to Copenhagen to participate in COP 15.
"We are on the road to nowhere if existing policies and economic models prevail with their over emphasis on private cars and on shifting shipments of goods to the roads," said UN Under- Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, who is also among the passengers on board the Climate Express.
"The Train to Copenhagen project is a showcase of sustainable transport solutions that will be part and parcel of a resource- efficient, low-carbon Green Economy of the 21st Century. By Sealing the Deal on an ambitious climate agreement in Copenhagen, governments will get into gear to propel the world to a low-carbon future so that societies may also finally embark on a journey to more sustainable transport," said Steiner.
Chairman of China's Vanke Group Wang Shi, a representative of Chinese enterprisers, speaks on the "Climate Express" after its departure from Brussels, capital of Belgium, Dec. 5, 2009. [Photo: Xinhua/Xu Suhui]
Achim Steiner (R), executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, walks to the "Climate Express" in Brussels, capital of Belgium, Dec. 5, 2009. [Photo: Xinhua/Xu Suhui]
An environmentalist poses with his bicycle in front of the "Climate Express" in Brussels, capital of Belgium, Dec. 5, 2009. [Photo: Xinhua/Xu Suhui]
