The chief of the UN climate change called on governments to take concrete steps towards a new treaty to combat global warming, warning that failure to do so could jeopardize ongoing negotiations. Representatives are currently meeting in Tianjin to discuss the future of the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The talks have been marred by distrust between wealthy and developing nations regarding climate funds, calls for more transparency in emissions reduction commitments, and dissatisfaction with the level of cuts proposed by wealthier countries. Failure to reach an agreement promptly would leave less time to address greenhouse gas emissions and create uncertainty for businesses regarding future climate policies and carbon markets post-2012. Figueres stressed the importance of finding common ground quickly during the Tianjin talks. The negotiations taking place are the final major discussions before the main climate conference in Cancun, Mexico in November. Nearly 200 government negotiators were unable to reach an agreement on a new legally binding climate treaty last year. The meeting in Copenhagen in 2009 resulted in disagreements between wealthy and developing countries, leading to a non-binding agreement with many unresolved issues. Governments are working to build trust and finalize a binding text from a complex draft treaty, possibly by late 2011. A successful outcome in Cancun is crucial to restore confidence in the process and prevent it from appearing never-ending, according to a speaker at the meeting. According to Wendel Trio, the recent devastating floods in Pakistan and severe drought in Russia are examples of extreme weather events that could worsen due to rising temperatures if countries do not significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Trio, who is the climate policy coordinator for Greenpeace, emphasized the importance of developed countries demonstrating commitment to the pledges made in Copenhagen in order to build trust among nations. Meanwhile, Christiana Figueres, speaking in a separate interview, expressed hope that the Tianjin talks could reach agreements on various aspects of a future climate pact, such as managing adaptation funds and green technology for poorer countries, as well as supporting carbon-absorbing forests in Brazil, Indonesia, and other locations. She also mentioned the possibility of creating a climate fund to help developing nations transition to greener economies, although determining the sources of funding for such a fund may take some time to agree upon. Even if negotiations progress, current government commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will not be sufficient to prevent the world from experiencing dangerous global warming, defined as a 2-degree Celsius increase from pre-industrial temperatures, according to Figueres. She stated that these commitments are not enough to ensure even a 2-degree temperature rise, which is not enough to protect the most vulnerable countries. Figueres emphasized the importance of governments securing formal pledges for the emissions cuts already proposed, acknowledging that this is a necessary but insufficient first step.