NEWS UPDATE #75 (Climate special)
We are already seeing chatter about whether this is our last chance to “save the world” or keep us below 2°C of global warming. But that’s the wrong way to think about Paris. They’re not designed to do that. The actual goal is more modest: to add structure and momentum to efforts that are already underway.
As world leaders discuss climate change, rain obliterates Chennai
The Times of India
Centre for Science and Environment director general Sunita Narain said it is clear that climate change is at least in part responsible for the heavy rainfall in the state in 2005 and again this year. “Scientists across the world agree that a rise in ocean temperatures in general is causing extreme rainfall in some areas and drought in others,” Narain said. “Though Chennai has had extreme rainfall this year, it could well be the reverse the next year for the same reasons.” (Also read: Chennai rains break multiple century-long records)
The Paris climate talks won’t solve global warming. Here’s what they’ll do instead.
Brad Plumer, Vox.com
This conference, known as COP21, is getting heavily hyped: We’re already seeing chatter about whether this is our last chance to “save the world” or keep us below 2°C of global warming. But that’s … the wrong way to think about what’s going on in Paris. These climate talks, by themselves, won’t fix global warming. They can’t do that. They’re not designed to do that. The actual goal is much more modest: to add structure and momentum to efforts that are already underway, in legislatures and laboratories and cities and boardrooms around the world, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That may sound like hair-splitting, but it’s a crucial distinction for understanding what these talks are all about.
The rich world must take greater responsibility for climate change (PDF)
Op-ed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Financial Times
In the next few days in Paris, the world will decide the fate of our planet. I hope the climate conference that begins there today will produce an agreement that restores the balance between ecology and economy — between our inheritance and our obligation to the future. The conference will also, I hope, reflect a collective global commitment balancing responsibilities and capabilities on one hand with aspirations and needs on the other. It should recognise that, while some face a choice between lifestyles and technologies, others stand between deprivation and hope. (Also read: Paris agreement is not to tear up the UN climate change convention: Former Indian negotiator)
Paris foretold and forewarned: what to expect from COP21
Sunita Narain, Down to Earth
What it means is a little more than this. The world would have agreed to a framework, pushed by the US, which is voluntary, bottom up—countries decide what they will do rather than get targets based on their contribution to the problem—and most importantly universal. It breaks once and for all the distinction between developing and developed countries. As agreed in the Framework Convention on Climate Change, developed countries had to take the first and drastic action because of their historical responsibility.
Paris Climate Talks: Trouble For The World—And India
G B S N P Varma, IndiaSpend.com
While global leaders meet in Paris to discuss climate change, “the (Conference of Parties) COP 21 is about how much carbon space is left and who gets how much of that space,” said Sagar Dhara, an environmental engineer and energy expert based in Hyderabad. This is what the great, global wrangling over targets, means and ends is about.
The world’s climate is in the hands of just three nations
Kevin Rudd and Hank Paulson, The Guardian
While all contributions from the 195 countries at the UN’s global climate change summit in Paris will be important, three are critical. China, the United States and India hold the key to large-scale global progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. So far, the UN climate process has faced the challenge of rallying all countries behind one unified resolution. While this remains crucial, efforts to build global consensus are increasingly varied, emphasising the role that multilateral, national and subnational policies can play in responding to the unique circumstances faced by societies around the globe.
Is draft climate deal a form of ‘apartheid’ against developing nations?
Christian Science Monitor
South Africa on Monday joined other African nations in criticizing a draft United Nations climate change agreement, calling the text a form of “apartheid” against developing nations. The draft is an early version of a global accord that negotiators from 195 countries are set to agree on at a major Paris summit in December. But a final week of negotiations on the draft text, which began in Germany Monday, faced opposition from developing nations who said their demands had been edited out of the 20-page draft.
New ‘vulnerable nations’ bloc looks set to redraw the climate politics map
The Conversation
Vulnerable states have featured prominently on the first day of Paris Climate talks. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon unveiled a new initiative to strengthen the resilience of the most vulnerable people and countries to the effects of climate change. But it is the emergence of a bloc of 44 vulnerable countries calling for much stronger climate action that may be the real game-changer in international climate politics. While the so-called North-South divide has long characterised international climate deliberations, there are signs it may be on its last legs in that forum. And that’s a good thing.
Should we be aiming to keep global warming to 1.5C, not 2C?
Karl Mathiesen, The Guardian
2C – it’s become shorthand for a safe, equitable climate deal. But the science and the UN’s position is unequivocal that if the world warms 2C above the pre-industrial age by 2100, many countries will face unbearable devastation. Of the 195 countries present at the UN climate conference in Paris, 106 of the poorest have said a target of 1.5C is the only acceptable pathway for humankind. The head of the UN’s climate process, Christiana Figures, has also backed this goal. Despite the vast majority of media reporting, which suggests the overarching aim of the UN climate process is to reach a 2C target, the question is still very much alive.
Global climate march 2015: hundreds of thousands march around the world
The Guardian
More than 600,000 people have taken to the streets in 175 countries around the world to call for a strong deal in Paris that will see a swift transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Melbourne and London led the way, with 60,000 people and 50,000 people, respectively, joining marches. Pope Francis and Ban Ki-moon were among the people to donate 10,000 pairs of shoes to an installation in Paris to represent people who could not march because of orders imposed by authorities after the 13 November attacks. Protests in Paris turned violent, with police arresting around 200 people after clashes with anti-capitalists and anarchists.
People to watch for at the Paris climate talks
Nitin Sethi, Business Standard
Here are the 14 people who will drive the dialogue at COP21