Last Updated on 15/07/2021
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The UN Climate Change Conference in Paris
See below a brief summary of The Daily Telegraph’s report which outlines the events that happened on the 30th November 2015 at the UN Climate Conference in Paris.
David Cameron warned that “world leaders will have no excuses to tell their grandchildren if they fail to reach agreement to tackle climate change when the planet is in peril.” He quotes “climate action is not difficult, it is do-able!” Here are Cameron’s thoughts on a good deal:
– A deal that keeps the target of a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius global warming alive
– A deal with a binding legal mechanism
– A deal that has a five-year review so monitoring and an evaluation can be made
– A deal for the poorest and most vulnerable countries in terms of finance
– A deal so we can measure and verify what happens with the agreement that we make
– And a deal that transfers technology from the richest countries to the poorest countries
Mr Cameron said the UK was not suffering but thriving as a result of the legally-binding goals, which requires emissions to be cut by 80 per cent on 1990 levels by 2050. Critics in the UK are quick to argue that the rhetoric is out of step with recent changes to renewable energy policies at home – cutting subsidies for wind and solar farms, as well as scrapping a carbon capture and storage competition. These changes are estimated to leave the UK even further off meeting its future emissions-reduction targets.
The Prince of Wales issued an impassioned plea for action, warning that “in damaging our climate we are becoming the architects of our own destruction.?
US President Obama warned the world had almost run out of time to tackle climate change.
The Indian Prime Minster, Narendra Modi said “access to energy and a better life is a universal aspiration and so are green environment and healthy habitats. They must leave room for developing countries to grow.”
The Japanese President Shinzo Abe addressed the conference stating “despite the Kyoto Protocol being signed in 1995, global average temperatures have been on the rise ever since.”
Geoff Lean of the Telegraph writes that the leaders meeting in Paris will do little to change humanity’s direction of travel, though they could affect its pace. Whatever decisions are made in the French capital over the next two weeks, the world is now irrevocably embarked on the greatest transition since the Industrial Revolution – towards a low (and eventually no) carbon economy.
Deep divisions remain between the countries over the different responsibilities that developed and developing countries should face in tackling climate change, with negotiators only just beginning to piece together a vast draft agreement with numerous disputed options.
Click Here to watch a 60 second video – An Introduction to Climate Change by the Royal Society