Conference of Parties - #COP21
Live news and updates from the Conference of Parties - #COP21 The 2015 Paris Climate Conference
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The global climate summit in Paris agreed a landmark accord on Saturday, setting the course for a "historic" transformation of the world's fossil fuel-driven economy within decades in a bid to arrest global warming.The deal comes at the tail end of the hottest year on record and after four years of fraught U.N. talks often pitting the interests of rich nations against poor, and imperiled island states against rising economic powerhouses.French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius took just minutes to declare the pact adopted to the standing applause and whistles of delegates from almost 200 nations."With a small hammer you can achieve great things," Fabius said as he gaveled the agreement, surprising many observers who were bracing for several hours of discussion following the two weeks of difficult negotiations. Read the full story. -
French Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius (R), President-designate of COP21 and Christiana Figueres (L), Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, react during the final plenary session at the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, France, December 12, 2015. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
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France will limit a U.N. climate summit in Paris starting in two weeks' time to core negotiations and cancel planned marches and concerts after the attacks that killed 129 people, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on Monday.He said no foreign leaders had asked France to postpone the Nov 30-Dec 11 summit, which aims to map out a global accord to limit greenhouse gas emissions, a move which would amount to "abdicating to the terrorists".But he told RTL radio that "a series of demonstrations planned will not take place and it will be reduced to the negotiations ... a lot of concerts and festivities will be cancelled."Environmental activists are due to meet later on Monday to rethink plans for a march on Nov. 29, the eve of the summit, that they had hoped would attract perhaps 200,000 people to put pressure on governments to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Read more.
French Prime Minister Manuel Valls (L) and French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian react as they speak to journalists after they visited the psychological help center at the Ecole Militaire to assist survivors and the families of victims in Paris, France, November 15, 2015, two days after a series of fatal shootings in the French capital. REUTERS/Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool -
The Eiffel Tower is seen at sunset in Paris, France, November 22, 2015. The capital will host the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) from November 30 to December 11. REUTERS/Charles PlatiauFactbox: Many hurdles to Paris deal on climate changeAlmost 200 nations will meet in Paris from Nov. 30-Dec. 11 for a summit on climate change, seeking a turning point away from an increasing reliance on fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution.Following are among the hurdles to a United Nations accord that will map out action by rich and poor nations beyond 2020 to curb greenhouse gas emissions blamed for warming the planet.FINANCEDeveloped nations promised in 2009 to mobilize $100 billion a year by 2020, from both public and private sources, to help developing nations limit their greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to more floods, heat waves and rising sea levels.The main group of more than 130 developing nations wants ever higher figures beyond 2020. The United States, the European Union and other rich nations do not want to guarantee higher figures.There are many uncertainties about how to count the money. Developing nations question estimates by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development that climate finance reached $62 billion in 2014.LONG-TERM GOALHosts France said in a Nov. 19 note that many countries favor the phrase "global transformation towards low-emission and climate resilient societies" to signal the long-term shift from fossil fuels towards greener energy. But that may be too vague for some.The Group of Seven industrialized nations set a target in June of a decarbonization of the world economy this century. Some developing nations, and many climate activists, want a far tougher target of phasing out fossil fuels by 2050. China and India, heavily dependent on coal, are among those reluctant to set clear dates for giving up fossil fuels they see as vital to lift millions from poverty.LOSS AND DAMAGEDeveloping nations want a long-term mechanism to help them cope with loss and damage from disasters such as typhoons or the impacts of a creeping rise of sea level rise.All governments agreed to set up a loss and damage mechanism in 2013 but it has yet to do any substantial work and is up for review in 2016. France's note said nations want it included in the Paris deal.The United States and many other rich nations are wary, saying they will not sign up to any text that implies "compensation" or "liability" - fearing it expose them to a mass of claims linked to their greenhouse gas emissions.RAISING AMBITIONThe United Nations says promises by about 170 nations to curb greenhouse gas emissions beyond 2020, made in the run-up to Paris, are too weak to limit rising temperatures to an agreed 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times.That means there will have to be a system to ratchet up action. France's Nov. 19 note says many nations want a first "global stocktaking" in 2018-19. A weak agreement would delay any reviews until 2020 or 2025.France's note says a stock taking would merely identify "where we stand collectively" in fighting climate change, and not criticize laggards. It would help lay the basis for new rounds of promises to combat warming.LEGAL FORCEAll nations agreed in 2011 that the Paris deal will have some form of "legal force". They left open about whether that meant a treaty under international law or a looser deal anchored in each nation's domestic laws.Many developing nations and the European Union favor a binding treaty, or protocol. But the United States and China, among those reluctant to sign up for international oversight, prefer an accord based on domestic laws and regulations. -
OPINION: From worst polluter to climate leader. Australia's Greens have plausible plan
How do you go from being the worst per capita polluter to among the lowest in just 15 years? The Australian Greens believe they have the answer, and surprisingly it could actually work, as long as it's tweaked to find some role for coal and natural gas.
At the outset, it's worth noting that the Greens' vision has virtually no chance of becoming government policy, given the party holds only one seat in Australia's lower house of parliament and just 10 of the 76 in the upper house Senate.
But in releasing their policy on Nov. 22, just ahead of next month's Paris Climate Conference - known as COP21, the Greens are certainly putting the issue of what actions a top polluter such as Australia should take on the agenda.
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China says keeping leaders away is key to climate talk success
ReutersKeeping state leaders away from the negotiations will play a major role in ensuring that crucial talks on a new global climate deal in Paris next week proceed smoothly, China's top climate change negotiator said in an interview on Monday. -
No country wants the situation in Copenhagen to be repeated.
Letting heads of state try to resolve the problems rather than leaving it to the negotiators was an error in the design and it led to an error in the result."- Xie Zhenhua, China's veteran climate chief, in an interview with Reuters -
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People demonstrate with a banner which reads, "No to the state of emergency. The emergency are Social Justice and the Climate" in front of the statue at the Place de la Republique, on the eve of a ceremony to pay tribute for the victims of shooting attacks in Paris, France, November 26, 2015:
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EU 'ready to work day and night for right climate deal in Paris'
ReutersThe European Union will negotiate day and night at U.N. talks on global warming in Paris to ensure a robust deal, followed up with regular reviews to cap temperature rises at 2 degrees Celsius, the bloc's climate boss said on Wednesday. -
Bjorn Lomborg, head of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, who won fame with his 2001 book "The Skeptical Environmentalist", reckons current national plans will only make a fraction of a degree of difference to warming this century:
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Germany says Paris climate deal must include solid review scheme
Next week's climate conference in Paris will only be a success if the final deal includes a solid review scheme that ensures pledges to reduce carbon emissions are really kept, a senior German government official said on Thursday.
Officials from nearly 200 countries will meet in the French capital from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 to negotiate a plan to curb global warming by reducing carbon emissions, aiming to keep the temperature rise below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit).
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2015 to be hottest year on record - until next year: WMO
ReutersThis year will be the hottest on record and 2016 could be even hotter due to the El Niño weather pattern, the World Meteorological Organization said on Wednesday, warning that inaction on climate change could see global average temperatures rise by 6 degrees Celsius or more. -
As climate conference looms, investors struggle to factor the environment in
If anyone needed proof of the link between the environment and investment, they need only look at the likely billions of dollars that auto giant Volkswagen looks set to pay in fines and compensation for making its cars appear greener than they are.
And yet, with a U.N. climate summit in Paris set to promote a switch to a low-carbon economy, data from the U.N. body urging investors and asset managers to give more weight to non-financial considerations, including the environment, shows a patchy response, at best.
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Pope, in Africa, says failure of climate summit would be catastrophic
ReutersWorld leaders must reach a historic agreement to fight climate change and poverty at upcoming Paris talks, facing the stark choice to either "improve or destroy the environment", Pope Francis said in Africa on Thursday. -
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New conference brochure and map for #COP21 available at: https://t.co/IC1PKvvDEK, via @COP21en https://t.co/f114SnBUAQ
4:00 PM - 27 Nov 2015- Reply
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Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway, on Instagram:
These young climat activists visited me today to push for concrete results in Paris !#obamameetthekids @POTUSby erna_solberg via Instagram -
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, on Twitter:.@UN report shows 90% of disasters are weather-related https://t.co/DRHuSSGNRo Another wake up call ahead of #COP21 https://t.co/sxeCw0slu6
5:42 PM - 26 Nov 2015- Reply
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Governments take rose-tinted view of climate projections before summit
ReutersBefore a summit on climate change in Paris next week, many governments are citing scientific studies indicating that their plans to curb greenhouse gas emissions until 2030 will come within 0.7 degrees Celsius of an agreed 2C (3.6 Fahrenheit) target for limiting global warming this century. -
Britain sends mixed messages on climate ahead of Paris talksBritain's cuts to renewable energy subsidies and abandonment of its carbon capture and storage scheme are likely to diminish the country's influence at the global climate talks starting in Paris this weekend, investors and green groups said.
Britain's commitment to foreign aid, including around 5.8 billion in climate finance from 2016-2021, has enabled the country to be an influential deal broker at climate talks in the past, gaining the ears of developed and developing countries.
But a swathe of cuts to renewable support in recent months, coupled with a decision on Wednesday to abandon a 1 billion pound competition designed to bring to commercialization technology to capture emissions from power plants and store them underground, has harmed its status.
"The situation on domestic policy is very confused and the international implications of the CCS decision are very damaging," said Chris Littlecott at climate thinktank E3G.
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Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates will launch a multi-billion-dollar clean energy research and development initiative with heads of state on Monday, the opening day of the U.N. climate change summit in Paris, the French government said Friday.Gates and a group of developing and developed countries will launch the Clean Tech Initiative, in which countries will commit to doubling their clean energy technology research and development budgets by 2020 and private investors will boost their own investments in the sector.Access to clean energy technology will play a key role in a global agreement to combat climate change. More than 190 countries will negotiate a new pact in Paris from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 at the 21st U.N. Conference of the Parties summit. Read more.
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Paris climate activists plan human chain on global day of action
ReutersActivists plan to join arms and form a "human chain" in Paris on Sunday to urge action on global warming, in a muted rally after attacks on the city by Islamic State, at the heart of worldwide protests on the eve of a U.N. climate summit in France. -
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GLOBAL PROTESTS: The Philippines
Filipino environmental activists wear skull masks as they take part in a global protest action ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, known as the COP21 summit, in Quezon city, Metro Manila Philippines November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
A Filipino environmental activist wears a protest mask during a global protest action ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, known as the COP21 summit, in Quezon city, in Quezon city, Metro Manila Philippines November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
Filipino environmental activists chant slogans as they take part in a global protest action ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, known as the COP21 summit, in Quezon city, Metro Manila Philippines November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
Filipino environmental activists look out from "sun" cardboard cutouts as they take part in a global protest action ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, known as the COP21 summit, in Quezon city, Metro Manila Philippines November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Erik De Castro
Filipino environmental activists wear skull masks as they take part in a global protest action ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Conference, known as the COP21 summit, in Quezon city, Metro Manila Philippines November 28, 2015. REUTERS/Erik De Castro1 of 5
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Next week, in the waning days of what is set to be the hottest year on record, world leaders meet on the outskirts of Paris for a summit that seeks nothing less than to steer the global economy away from its ever-growing reliance on fossil fuels.The challenge is enormous and has proven elusive in the past. The U.N.-sponsored talks are aimed at getting 195 countries to agree on a path for cutting the greenhouse gas emissions which scientists say have raised global temperatures and begun upending the earth's climate.Opening the summit at Le Bourget on Nov. 30, heads of government from big carbon burning countries such as U.S. President Barack Obama and China's Xi Jinping will seek common cause with leaders from the smallest emitters in Africa and island states.When it concludes two weeks later on Dec. 11 - give or take a couple of days for last-minute wrangling - their negotiators are likely to claim success in committing both rich and developing nations to weaning the world off the coal and oil resources that gave rise to the Industrial Revolution."Done right, it will shape the economy of the 21st century," said Andrew Steer, head of the World Resources Institute think-tank. Done wrong, critics warn, the consequences could be catastrophic. Read more.
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Factbox: The many hurdles to Paris deal on climate changeAlmost 200 nations will meet in Paris from November 30 - December 11 for a summit on climate change, seeking a turning point away from an increasing reliance on fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution.
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"We know the water is going up. And we are ready." #ClimateMarch clowns in Paris. https://t.co/G4Jui2r42a
11:09 AM - 29 Nov 2015- Reply
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UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has donated his shoes to the Paris shoe installation, a virtual march which is being held after the actual march was cancelled in the wake of the Paris attacks:Ban Ki-moon donated his shoes to stand in solidarity w/ people of Paris unable to join a #climatemarch today. #COP21 https://t.co/38JGGTqvOj
10:36 AM - 29 Nov 2015- Reply
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U.N. climate deal 'quite close': Latvian president
ReutersWorld leaders are "quite close" to reaching a deal to fight climate change when they meet in Paris from Monday, Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis, Europe's first Green party head of state, said, adding any deal should be legally binding. -
Pale dot Suicide ? #GlobalClimateMarch #climatechange #CapeTown #ClimateMarch #Parliament https://t.co/rHNahFbOOj
11:35 AM - 29 Nov 2015- Reply
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Environmental activists stand among pairs of shoes symbolically placed on the Place de la Republique, after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France, November 29, 2015:
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GLOBAL MARCHES: Australia
Protesters hold a banner in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge during a rally ahead of the 2015 Paris Climate Change Conference, known as the COP21 summit, in Sydney's central business district, Australia November 29, 2015. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Thousands march during a rally held the day before the start of the Paris Climate Change Summit, in Sydney's central business district November 29, 2015. REUTERS/Jason Reed
People hold placards and banners as they participate in a march the day before the Paris World Climate Change Conference, along the main street of Adelaide, South Australia November 29, 2015. REUTERS/David Gray
A man holds a placard as he participates in a march ahead of the Paris World Climate Change Conference, along the main street of Adelaide, South Australia November 29, 2015. REUTERS/David Gray
People hold placards and banners as they participate in a march ahead of the Paris World Climate Change Conference, along the main street of Adelaide, South Australia November 29, 2015. REUTERS/David Gray1 of 5
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London's BT Tower gets involved in climate change activism:We’re supporting the use of renewable energy and we’ve got the BT Tower to help us out! #go100percent #climatemarch https://t.co/NxtBptoBqm
11:10 AM - 29 Nov 2015- Reply
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GALLERY: THE SHOES OF ABSENT MARCHERSAbout 20,000 pairs of shoes have been laid out in the Place de la Republique in the French capital, from high-heels to boots.They symbolize absent marchers after attacks by Islamic State militants killed 130 people on Nov. 13 and led France to ban a protest that was meant to be at the heart of the global action.
A banner which reads "Global Climate March" is displayed in front of pairs of shoes symbolically placed on the Place de la Republique, after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France, November 29, 2015. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Pairs of shoes are symbolically placed on the Place de la Republique, after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France, November 29, 2015. Message reads, "If you choose a fight, it's a fight for the climate". REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
A pair of beach sandals with green moss are symbolically placed on the Place de la Republique, after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France, November 29, 2015. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
Environmental activists stand among pairs of shoes symbolically placed on the Place de la Republique, after the cancellation of a planned climate march following shootings in the French capital, ahead of the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21), in Paris, France, November 29, 2015. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard1 of 4
Assad blocks access to Damascus for EU envoys: diplomats
BRUSSELS Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has revoked special visas for European Union diplomats and officials traveling regularly between Beirut and Damascus, complicating efforts to distribute aid to civil war victims, three senior EU diplomats said.