Paris deal on global warming to be enacted
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CLIMATE negotiators started work yesterday on implementing the Paris Agreement on global warming amid uncertainty over how the US election will impact the landmark deal as temperatures and greenhouse gases soar to new heights.
UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa told delegates in the rain-soaked Moroccan city of Marrakech that “no politician or citizen, no business manager or investor” can doubt that the world is determined to shift toward a “low-emission, resilient society.”
So far, 100 countries have formally joined the agreement adopted last year in Paris, including top polluters China, the United States, the European Union and India.
However, US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has said he would “cancel” the deal if he wins the election this week. His opponent, Hillary Clinton, backs the climate policies of President Barack Obama’s government.
“Achieving the aims and ambitions of the Paris Agreement is not a given,” Espinosa said. “The peaking of global emissions is urgent, as is attaining far more climate-resilient societies.”
The Paris Agreement marks the first time all countries have pledged to fight global warming by curbing the rise in greenhouse gas emissions, primarily carbon dioxide from fossil fuels.
The UN says global emissions rise every year, reaching 52.7 billion tons in 2014, primarily driven by the rapid expansion of China, India and other Asian economies.
Meanwhile, global average temperatures keep hitting new records. Last year was the hottest since reliable record-keeping began in the 19th century and this year is expected to be even hotter.
On a per capita basis, rich countries like the US, Australia and oil-rich Gulf nations, have the highest emissions.
“The wealthiest countries live as if there were three planets,” said French Environment Minister Segolene Royal. Poor countries in Africa are suffering the consequences with fertile land turning into desert, she said.
“Climate change in Africa is the most cruel and the most unfair,” Royal said, noting that African countries have contributed very little to the problem.
Delegates will meet for two weeks in Marrakech to work on the rules for implementing the Paris deal.
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