Environmental Leader

As the clock ticks down to the Copenhagen talks, two prominent environmental advocacy groups are making their final pitches to encourage world leaders to adopt a climate deal.

The World Wildlife Federation, along with Allianz, has issued an interactive online application that reveals “tipping points” on climate change, while the World Resources Institute has issued a six-page guide that outlines what it would consider to a successful outcome of the Dec. 7-18 climate talks in Copenhagen.

In its interactive feature, WWF details 12 tipping points related to drought, ice melting, changing oceans, dying forests and changing ecosystems.

The report makes a concerted effort to influence the finance and insurance sectors.

For instance, it says that continued drought in the Southwest U.S. will disrupt water, agriculture, energy and tourism. The economic impacts could lead to rising prices for essentials like food, energy and water, which in turn would lead to an increase in crime, which would mean more insurance claims, including fraudulent ones.

WRI says that a climate deal should have these three elements:

- A big-picture agreement, preferably a commitment to reduce global emissions 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.

- A solid foundation, meaning a legally binding agreement with an official registry and common international standards.

- Support for developing countries. WRI would have developed countries pledge $10 billion to $15 billion toward a fund from 2010 to 2012, with larger amounts coming by 2020.