Post date: Nov 25, 2013 1:16:33 AM
Rich and poor countries reach a compromise on sharing out the efforts needed to slow global warming at UN climate talks in Warsaw.
WARSAW, POLAND (NOVEMBER 23, 2013) (REUTERS) - Almost 200 nations kept a plan to reach a new U.N. climate pact in 2015 alive on Saturday (November 23) when rich and poor countries reached a compromise on sharing out the efforts needed to slow global warming.
A two-week negotiation in Warsaw had been due to end on Friday (November 22), but was blocked over a timetable for the first U.N. climate accord that would set greenhouse gas emissions requirements for all nations. The pact is due to be agreed in 2015 and come into force after 2020.Negotiators finally agreed that all countries should work to curb emissions - a process described in the jargon as "intended nationally determined contributions" - as soon as possible and ideally by the first quarter of 2015.
The agreement ended deadlock between rich and poor about sharing out the burden of limiting emissions blamed for causing more heatwaves, floods, droughts and rising sea levels.
Under the last climate pact, the Kyoto Protocol, only the most developed countries were required to limit their emissions - one of the main reasons the United Statesrefused to accept it, saying rapidly growing economies like China and India must also take part.
"Let me congratulate you for your good work and for your spirit of compromise. We now have a pathway to the meeting in Paris," said COP president Marcin Korolec to an applauding auditorium after the agreement was accepted.
China had insisted that developing nations should announce deep cuts in emissions while allowing emerging economies room to burn more fossil fuels to help end poverty.
But the United States noted that all nations agreed in 2012 that the 2015 deal would be "applicable to all" and accused emerging nations of harping back to previous deals.
Developed nations had wanted all to take on "commitments", not the weaker-sounding "contributions" that they settled for.
"At least the process still survives, the ADP survived, although we do see that we missed some opportunities, it was possible to have something stronger. Nevertheless we have the minimum we need to continue next year, to hopefully have something stronger," said Climate Action Now activist Wael Hmaidan about the progress of the talks.
Before Saturday, the only concrete measure to have emerged after two weeks was an agreement on new rules to protect tropical forests, which soak up carbon dioxide as they grow.
During the Warsaw meeting, no major nation offered tougher action to slow rising world greenhouse gas emissions and Japan backtracked from its carbon goals for 2020, after shuttering its nuclear industry after the Fukushima disaster.
Talks later ended with delegates announcing that the two-week meeting also created a Warsaw International Mechanism to help the poor cope with loss and damage from heatwaves, droughts, floods, desertification and rising sea levels - although rich nations refused to pledge new cash.
Until Saturday, the only concrete measure to have emerged in Warsaw was an agreement on new rules to protect tropical forests, which soak up carbon dioxide as they grow.
Developed nations, which promised in 2009 to raise aid to 100 billion USD (61.61 billion pounds) a year after 2020 from 10 billion USD a year in 2010-12, rejected calls to set targets for 2013-19.