Climate change offers enormous economic opportunities: UN

New Delhi, Sept 7 (PTI) Climate change does not
contradict development goals but offers enormous economic
opportunities, says the 2009 report of the UN conference on
Trade and Development (Unctad).

"The Copenhagen conference on climate change in
December offers a new opportunity to engage all nations in an
effective global framework for policies aimed at reducing
emissions and limiting global warming," says the report.

"Keeping global warming at a manageable level is not
possible without resolute policy efforts that trigger a
process of structural change towards more climate-friendly
modes of consumption and production around the world," says
the annual report released worldwide Monday.

But, contributing to climate change mitigation is also
in the interest of developing and transition economies, it
says.

"It would considerably improve their prospects for
development and poverty reduction as developing nations such
as India and China have consistently opposed any attempt to
cap their emissions, arguing that it would compromise their
growth", the report adds.

The UN report also calls upon WTO to ease patent
protection for green technologies the way it has done for
life-saving medicines. PTI AJ