Speaking at a press conference, Mr. Obama said the agreement that almost 200 nations are hoping to reach in Paris should not be judged by the specific targets or financial contributions that rich countries make to a U.N. fund created to compensate poor countries.
Advertisement
“I know some would ask why the world would dedicate some of our focus right to combating climate change, even as we work to protect our people and go after terrorist networks”.
However, one big hurdle that has made the notion of a legally binding mechanism is the fact that the Obama would not get the approval of the congress for such a treaty.
Unlike the 2009 Copenhagen talks widely seen as a failure, Obama and other world leaders visited Paris at the beginning of the United Nations conference, rather than at the end, helping to build momentum for a deal rather than setting up an expectation the leaders would swoop in at the end.
Like Obama – and virtually every other national leader – India’s officials face political pressure at home. The Paris talks include more than 180 countries, representing almost 100% of global warming emissions.
“I choose to support climate action because I believe we are all responsible for the planet we live on and the people we share it with”, said Mariela Castaneda, a developmental practice graduate student, “We are all affected in interconnected ways, and we have the duty to unite and address the challenge of global climate change”.
IHS also warned that some countries may not keep their commitments, at least not fully.
“There are countries like Saudi Arabia which rely very largely on oil revenue for their economic survival”.
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar, quoted in this article, argues forcefully that India will have to rely on fossil fuels such as coal in addition to rapidly increasing its use of renewables.
Whether those pledges are ambitious enough is one of the larger debates at the Paris talks, in part because taken together they fall well short of the goal of keeping temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) this century compared to pre-industrial times to prevent the worst climate impacts.
Obama has said he intends to veto the legislation, but the actions are symbolic and meant to undermine the stance of the United States during the two weeks of negotiations taking place in this suburb north of Paris.
Nigel Purvis, a former USA climate negotiator and president of the non-governmental organization Climate Advisers, said Tuesday that Obama has all the legislative authority he needs to enter such an agreement, thanks in part to a 1992 treaty signed by then-President George H.W. Bush and approved by the Senate. Further, when the negative messages were presented, people were more apt to doubt the existence of climate change – and this was true of both conservatives and liberals.
World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, is asking that the continent not be left behind, and has urged African governments to fight against what he terms a moral issue concerning the elements involved in climate change.
One of the sticking points is who pays.
The talks, which run through December 11, are aimed at a broader, tougher replacement to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The countries that are collectively responsible for 90 per cent of the emissions now all have reduction targets.
Advertisement
After protesters clashed with police earlier this week, Paris police on Tuesday extended a ban on public demonstrations around the climate conference until it is over.
