Climate leader quits

The head of the UN's climate change convention, Yvo de Boer, announced Thursday that he will resign as of July 1.

"It was a difficult decision to make, but I believe the time is ripe for me to take on a new challenge, working on climate and sustainability with the private sector and academia," said de Boer in a statement.

The Dutchman has been executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) since 2006.

His announcement comes nearly two months after the Copenhagen climate change summit that was widely considered a disappointment.

"Copenhagen did not provide us with a clear agreement in legal terms, but the political commitment and sense of direction toward a low-emissions world are overwhelming," Boer said.

Ambitious global campaign

Before the December summit, Boer had campaigned for the 192 member states of the UN to agree to ambitious targets, with the aim of limiting global warming to within 2 degrees centigrade of pre-industrial levels.

The 55-year-old is set to take up a role as global advisor on climate and sustainability for professional services firm KPMG. He aims to help the private sector address the issue of global warming.

"I have always maintained that while governments provide the necessary policy framework, the real solutions must come from business," said Boer.

Before leaving his post, Boer will work on negotiations in the run up to the next climate change conference in November in the Mexican city of Cancun.

smh/rc/DPA/Reuters
Editor: Nancy Isenson