AFP: (International) Environmental groups hail Obama's green agenda

Environmental groups hail Obama's green agenda

GENEVA (AFP) — International environmental groups have praised evidence of swift change by US President Barack Obama in his inaugural week, saying it could transform Washington from a green "pariah" into a world leader.

Senior officials at WWF and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, IUCN, told AFP they expected the shift to be felt within a month in domestic legislation and by the year end in global climate change negotiations

"He seems to be moving fast," said Julia Marton-Lefevre, Director General of the Swiss-based IUCN, a network of conservation groups, governments and companies. "It's super urgent and he knows it."

"The US reducing its (carbon) impact will already have an impact on the rest of the world," she added.

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