U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he conferred with United Nations chief Ban ki-Moon on the state of global climate change talks Tuesday.
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The Paris talks opened November 30 with a record-breaking gathering of 150 world leaders issuing a chorus of warnings about mankind’s fate if planet warming went unchecked.
The pledge of rich countries made at the United Nations in 1970 to grant 0.4 percent of GDP as development aid to poor countries had not materialized, as this never exceeded one quarter of the target.
“We need resources to adapt because the impacts are not slowing down, they are growing, but having more than 90 million United States dollars to work with is also a great benefit and this I would say in a more affordable way, because we are accessing a larger chunk of grants, largely around 50 million in grants but also cheaper bonds in around about 40 million dollars”.
Paris: India along with other BASIC nations today expressed “disappointment” at the “low” level of support provided by the developed countries to the developing nations in fighting climate change and asserted that it was imperative that they must make “visible” lead in cutting emissions.
Campaigners are already planning climate action beyond the Paris talks, but Mr Naidoo said tackling rising temperatures would be easier if politicians “wake up and smell the coffee”.
“Climate change is the most fundamental and existential threat to our species”, the Revenant actor and longtime environmental activist added.
Among the slew of fundamentals in dispute are how far and how fast to limit global warming, and how to review national commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
It comes amid fears that some countries are using the negotiations process to slow down progress so an unambitious deal is finalised in the last hours of the conference.
Stressing that the Paris agreement must fully respect the Convention of principles, especially the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR), which is India’s strong position, the minister said: “There is no question of diluting these principles, which continue to remain important”.
China is the world’s top consumer of coal but has also become a leader in renewable energy, with rapid expansion of wind and solar power.
Ministers face key sticking points including finance for poor countries to cope with climate change, a long-term goal to bring greenhouse gas emissions to zero and a review and ratchet mechanism allowing countries to revisit their climate action plans and increase ambition. But scientific analyses show that won’t be enough to meet the worldwide goal of limiting warming to 2 degrees C (3.6 degrees F), compared to pre-industrial times.
French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who is the President of the summit, has created four different groups to sort out these contentious issues and each group is headed by two ministers, one each belonging to the developed and developing group of nations, civil society observers said.
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In a separate discussion with reporters on Tuesday, Kerry said he had also been working the phones to reach a deal, the Times said. Island nations and countries with weak infrastructure are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change. On Monday, Beijing issued its first ever red alert for smog, urging schools to close and invoking restrictions on factories and traffic.
