Climate talks resume Tuesday in Bangkok
AFP published on Sep 02, 2018
Three months before COP24 in Poland, an intermediate session of climate negotiations opens Tuesday in Bangkok to give life to the Paris agreement at a time when the signs of overheating of the planet are multiplying.
The 190 participating States have until the end of the year and the 24th UN Climate Conference in December in Katowice to finalize the rules for implementing the 2015 pact, which aims to contain global warming under the 2 ° C, even 1,5 ° C, compared to the pre-industrial era.
The agreement also provides for annual aid of $ 100 billion by 2020 for poor countries.
"The Paris agreement was like a letter of intent," explains Michael Oppenheimer, professor at Princeton University.
If detailed rules for implementing the Paris Agreement concerning outstanding issues and disputes are not adopted, the latter could fall into the water, warn experts.
The countries meeting in Bonn in May had not succeeded in making enough progress in the negotiations, making this catch-up session necessary. "If the stakeholders do not get there in Bangkok, a satisfactory outcome in Katowice will be jeopardized," the negotiating co-chairs warned.
As often, the main sticking point is money.
Developing countries favor public funds, want to know how donor countries are going to increase aid and oppose any under-investment in adapting to the impacts of climate change.
Rich countries are in favor of more private capital, favor profitable projects and are reluctant to commit to concrete and long-term objectives.
These tensions led to the paralysis this summer of the UN Green Climate Fund, already affected by the cessation of the contribution of the United States decided by Donald Trump.
- Larger commitments -
Another major challenge awaits negotiators in Bangkok and Katowice: that countries increase their commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Current commitments would lead to an increase in global average temperature of more than 3 ° C compared to the pre-industrial era. The thermometer has increased by 1 ° C so far.
According to the Paris agreement, countries must not review their commitments before 2023. But waiting so long could condemn the planet to a runaway climate change, warn scientists in a special UN report obtained by AFP, to be released in October.
The report of the UN group of climate experts (IPCC) "will show the need for increased ambitions if we want to have a functional human civilization in the future," said Wael Hmaidan, from the NGO Climate Action Network.
The heat waves and gigantic forest fires that the northern hemisphere experienced this summer could only be a taste of what awaits us.
"We need announcements of increased ambition from large countries that have made commitments for 2030, China, India, Brazil, the European Union, Japan," says Alden Meyer, from the scientific NGO Union of concerned scientists.
Meanwhile, developing countries are posting ambitious renewable energy programs.
"They say + if we, the poorest countries and the most affected by climate change, are able to be in phase with the 1,5 ° C target, there are no excuses for richer countries do not do the same, ”explains Wael Hmaidan.
Cities and regions must also, at the first World Climate Action Summit scheduled for mid-September in San Francisco, unveil their own initiatives.
But the big boost needed to fight global warming is still slow.
"The bottleneck for a real transformation lies at the level of political will at the national level," said Wael Hmaidan.
Words that seem to be illustrated by the resignation in France of the Minister for the Ecological Transition, Nicolas Hulot, who cited among other reasons the lack of progress in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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