Abby L. Harvey
GHG Monitor
10/2/2015
Climate change and the upcoming negotiations toward a global climate deal were hot on the tongues of several world leaders this week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The 21st Conference of the Parities of the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change, aimed at producing a post-Kyoto climate agreement, will be held in December in Paris
President Francois Hollande of France emphasized his country’s dedication to reaching a global agreement, as made apparent by its decision to host the conference. “France decided that we would hold the conference on climate, no doubt because we are aware that we had a terrible fiasco in Copenhagen and that this time around we need to come up with a good decision, but a decision that can only be the decision of the entire international community,” Hollande said, referring to COP15 in Denmark, which failed to reach such an agreement.
Hollande laid out three criteria by which he will judge the Paris proceedings. First, he said, the conference must produce a general universal decision that requires each country to do what it can and not more. Hollande’s second requirement is that the agreement be capable of increasing in ambition over time through the inclusion of a review mechanism, gauging progress and determining if more can be done. “The agreement in Paris should not be the end-all, simply a conclusion, but rather a point of departure, the beginning of a process,” Hollande said. Finally, Hollande noted a need for developed countries to take on financial commitments.
Most importantly, such an agreement must be reached now, Hollande said. “Some will say to me that this is something that can be decided later at another conference. Well, I assure you, here — and I’m saying this quite candidly, that if we don’t make this decision in Paris it will be late. Not just late, it will be too late for the world.”
Paris Won’t be Enough, Putin Says
While the Paris negotiations are important, and it is in the world’s best interest to come to a strong agreement, such a deal is only a bandage and won’t solve the greater problem of climate change, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the assembly.
“We should take a wider view on this issue. Yes, we might defuse the problem for a while, by setting quotas on harmful emissions or by taking other measures that are nothing but tactical. But we will not solve it that way. We need a completely different approach,” Putin said. “We have to focus on introducing fundamental and new technologies inspired by nature, which would, not damage the environment, but would be in harmony with it. Also, that would allow us to restore the balance upset by biosphere and technosphere upset by human activities.”
To that end, the Russian president suggested the formation of a special forum under the U.N. “for a comprehensive consideration of the issues related to the depletion of natural resources, destruction of habitat, and climate change.” Putin said Russia would be willing to co-sponsor such a forum.
President Barack Obama also touched on the need for continued innovation to meet the climate change challenge. “The same ingenuity that produced the industrial age and the computer age allows us to harness the potential of clean energy. No country can escape the ravages of climate change, and there’s no stronger sign of leadership than putting future generations first. The United States will work with every nation that is willing to do its part so that we can come together in Paris to decisively confront this challenge,” Obama said.
