At least 19.3 million people worldwide were driven from their homes by natural disasters past year, most related to weather events, according to the Geneva-based Internal Displacement Monitoring Center. “So all the warm words – about limiting global warming at 1.5C – are premised on the idea that the USA should do no more than anyone else”.
Advertisement
The organizers of the protest say it gained over 500 participants, who chanted “what do we want?”
EU Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete told reporters Thursday “without the five-year cycles, the agreement is meaningless”. “There is also some resistance, particularly in relation to compensation for (climate-inflicted) loss and damage”, French President Francois Hollande said yesterday, a day before a self-imposed deadline for the unprecedented agreement. She said the bloc wanted to secure an agreement that was ambitious, ensured proper transparency and five-yearly reviews of emissions targets.
But much work remains to be done at the talks, which are scheduled to end tomorrow – a schedule that looks optimistic, at this point.
The world is now one step closer to a historic climate deal.
“It’s a bet that when we come around in 2019, technology will have changed enough that you’ll have pressure for more ambition”, Me Keohane said. Developing countries were not pushing for this being included, but the inclusion of this language is probably a victory for the USA (which was concerned about legal liability) and could have long-term implications for the strength of loss and damage. The climate change accord now under negotiation would require all countries to pitch in.
Not every single country’s approval is needed in order to forge an agreement, said Jennifer Morgan, global director of the climate change program at the World Resources Institute.
Advocacy group Oxfam performed a skit Thursday at the talks with protesters wearing oversized “big head” masks representing world leaders.
The new Liberal government came to office last month promising a renewed national priority on combating climate change, with both Trudeau and McKenna winning worldwide plaudits for providing Canada with a new perspective.
Nearby, a pyramid of boxes and speakers broadcast voices recorded by activist group Avaaz.
“It is important in this last phase that we remind the negotiators why they are here”.
While the poorest of the nations are looking up to the developed ones for financial and technological help to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change, the latter are shying away from the sole responsibility, while trying to rope in the “advanced” developing countries like China to chip in.
The concerns of the developing countries including India are there in the new version so that they can go to the negotiation with their options on differentiation, finance, stocktake and long-term goal intact.
He and Javadekar didn’t elaborate on differences in their positions.
But the rise of developing nations such as China and India – which are now among the top three global emitters – has led countries to argue the system must change.
Reaching consensus does not anyway mean that an agreement in Paris will enter into force, because the bigger hurdle is often getting it adopted in national law.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius takes part in a plenary session at the COP21 United Nations c …
At the Brazil meeting, a strict division between richer and poorer nations was established with the expectation that developed countries should shoulder most of the burden for fighting global warming because it was their carbon emissions that caused it in the first place. Originally expected to conclude Friday, the Paris talks have been extended to Saturday.
Nimra Amjad, 30, from Calgary, said Canada is “hiding” behind the USA which has long said it doesn’t want to be held liable for poor country’s climate-related havoc.
The first draft tilted towards a less ambitious agreement, but the second version was strengthened. A final draft of the proposed climate deal will thereafter be released on Friday.
Advertisement
Little solid news on the progress of negotiations has surfaced over the duration of the COP21 talks, but the latest draft agreement has now been released.
