Kofi Annan, the former United Nations Secretary-General, expressed optimism that a climate change agreement could be reached with the support of the US administration under Barack Obama. He emphasized the urgency of taking action to prevent extreme weather events that will worsen with global warming. Annan highlighted the importance of addressing greenhouse gas emissions to mitigate the impacts of climate change, such as rising sea levels and food shortages. He hoped that discussions at the Global Humanitarian Forum would pave the way for a successful agreement in Copenhagen in December. Annan expressed optimism that the new president and administration in the United States are serious about addressing climate change, which is crucial as the US is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases. He believes this commitment bodes well for the upcoming meeting in Copenhagen, where over 190 countries will work towards a successor to the Kyoto Protocol. Additionally, Annan noted that economic stimulus efforts around the world have led to increased investment in low-carbon energy and alternative technologies, which could create jobs and support sustainable projects. However, climate experts have cautioned that current pledges by industrialised nations to reduce emissions by 2020 are insufficient to prevent dangerous climate change. The emissions reductions pledged by developed countries ahead of the December meeting are currently estimated to be between 10 and 14 percent lower than 1990 levels, as calculated by Reuters. The UN Climate Panel recommends that reductions should be in the range of 25-40 percent below 1990 levels in order to prevent the most severe consequences of climate change.