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Climate deal ‘best chance’ to avert catastrophe, says Obama

Whether the deal announced on the final day achieves that is open to debate: It calls for limiting a global rise in temperatures to “well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels”, which most scientists believe should, in theory, stave off devastation.

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“It creates the mechanism, the architecture, for us to continually tackle this problem in an effective way”, Obama said.


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It is debatable whether the Paris Agreement can be termed a historic moment.


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WASHINGTON (AP) – President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry hailed the newly passed worldwide climate change agreement as a major achievement that could help turn the tide on global warming, but got a quick reminder that Republicans will fight it all the way.

But Nick Dearden, director of campaign group Global Justice Now, said: “It’s outrageous that the deal that’s on the table is being spun as a success when it undermines the rights of the world’s most vulnerable communities and has nearly nothing binding to ensure a safe and liveable climate for future generations”. “This is a win for humanity”, said Brazil Minister Environment Izabella Teixeira.

Critically analysing the agreement, the 65-year old climatologist said that the Paris Agreement explicitly acknowledges that the current emission reduction pledges, the so-called INDCs, will lead to increasing global emissions by 2030.

But he said the deal is far from a ideal one as the level of funding support from rich countries to poor nations is still not satisfactory, and the industrialised countries have failed to pledge deeper emission cuts.

However, the reference is not strong, with the introduction to the accord merely noting the importance “for some” of the concept, when taking action to address climate change.

Though changing “shall” to “should” will to some extent relieve the legally bindingness of developed countries’ responsibilities, Xie said the UNFCCC secretary has decided it is a technical error.

The Paris agreement on climate change was largely welcomed by stakeholders in India and overseas, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, but there was also the concern that the rich countries could have done more to save the planet from the effects of global warming.

“Even if all the initial targets set in Paris are met, we’ll only be part of the way there when it comes to reducing carbon from the atmosphere”, Obama said adding that the agreement is still ambitious, with every nation committing to their own specific targets.

Obama has made combating global climate change a top priority of his presidency but has encountered stiff resistance to his proposals from Republicans in Congress.

President Obama commented after the Paris Agreement was finalized, stating that “this agreement sends a powerful signal that the world is fully committed to a low-carbon future”. This agreement now recognises the role of emerging economies in mobilising resources and contributing finance over time as well. “Senate leadership has already been outspoken in its positions that the United States is not legally bound to any agreement setting emissions targets or any financial commitment to it without approval by Congress”, Inhofe said in a press release.

The immediate reaction of leading Republican critics was a stark reminder of the conflict that lies ahead.

The Paris climate agreement refers only indirectly to agriculture, in terms of making sure people have enough to eat.

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CSE analyses that India will be under constant pressure to take more burden for mitigating climate change by 2020 and beyond, especially when the next review of all the nationally determined contributions of countries take place. “The American public knows full well that’s not the case”.

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