The UN climate talks began in Poland with calls for immediate action to combat global warming despite the economic slowdown. There were warnings that failure to act could lead to water shortages for half the world by 2050. US President-elect Barack Obama was praised for his ambitious goals in fighting climate change. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk emphasized the importance of prioritizing environmental efforts regardless of economic conditions. The talks in Poznan mark the halfway point in a two-year push to reach a new climate treaty to succeed the Kyoto Protocol. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen emphasized the importance of not letting the financial crisis detract from addressing urgent issues like climate change. He will be hosting a meeting in Copenhagen in late 2009 to finalize a UN deal. Head of the UN Climate Panel, Rajendra Pachauri, warned that many people are not fully aware of the potential risks of inaction, which could lead to irreversible changes. For example, he noted that the number of people living in river valleys with water stress could potentially increase from 1.1 billion in 1995 to 4.3 billion in 2050. Pachauri also highlighted the possibility of the Greenland icecap melting and the increasing risk of extinction for various species of animals and plants. Yvo de Boer, the leader of the UN Climate Change Secretariat, emphasized the urgency of increasing efforts to reach an agreement by the following year. He stressed that work needed to accelerate in order to meet the deadline. The WWF distributed walnuts to conference attendees, encouraging them to find a solution to the climate crisis. Greenpeace revealed a large sculpture depicting the planet in danger from a wave of wood and coal. Rasmussen commended Obama's policies, highlighting the contrast with previous disagreements with President George W. Bush. He expressed his pleasure in Obama's ambitious climate and energy policies as a way to address the economic slowdown. De Boer also praised Obama's ambitious policies on Sunday. Obama aims to reduce US greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, which are currently 14 percent higher than 1990 levels due to the burning of fossil fuels in factories, power plants, and cars. In contrast, Bush's policies only anticipate a peak in emissions by 2025. In Europe, concerns about the expenses associated with the EU's target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 have been brought to light by the economic slowdown. Poland, a country that heavily relies on coal for electricity production, and Italy are spearheading efforts to secure concessions in a deal that is expected to be finalized at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels on December 11-12.