COP21 - The final breakthrough agreement for the planet

(Baonghean.vn) - On December 12, after two weeks of tense negotiations, 195 countries adopted the Paris Agreement - a universal and binding agreement addressing global warming, marking a new milestone in climate negotiations.

At 11:30 a.m., the plenary session marking the formal adoption of the agreement, considered a breakthrough, took place, chaired by Conference President Laurent Fabius.

The entire historic session on December 12, 2015, in Bourget, Paris. Photo: Le Monde

In his opening remarks at this historic meeting, French President Francois Hollande once again assured that "France will do its utmost to implement the agreements and to advance the movements," and concluded, "December 12, 2015 will be a momentous day for the planet. In Paris, many revolutions have taken place, but the revolution for climate change today is the most beautiful and peaceful."

The final text of the Paris Climate Agreement is 31 pages long with 29 articles, which, as described by Fabius, consists of five chapters outlining “distinctive responsibilities of nations” in efforts to combat global warming.

The document maintains the global warming threshold "below 2".⁰C and strive to reach the limit of 1.5⁰C”. The provisions also allude to “necessary cooperation on loss and compensation issues” with a total of $100 billion pledged by developed countries by 2020 and a “floor” amount for after 2020, the specific figure of which will be established in 2025.

At the conclusion of the session, Mr. Fabius, President Hollande, and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon all expressed strong sentiments regarding the “ambitious and balanced draft” which “is immediately applicable, long-lasting, dynamic, and legally binding.”

The Paris Agreement on climate change concluded with the approval of 195 countries. Photo: Le Monde

According to Fabius, the document is "the best balance between hardline and flexible positions, allowing each country's negotiating team to return with their heads held high, having achieved significant accomplishments." Fabius declared, "The world recognizes your role."

For his part, Mr. Hollande stated, “December 12, 2015 can be considered a great day for humanity. Personally, I feel happy, almost relieved, and proud to be able to deliver a message from Paris – a place that had just recently suffered an attack. We ask you to accept the first global climate agreement in our history. This is a rare opportunity in life to change the world, for the planet, for humanity, and for life.”

Despite being considered a historic document, the Paris Agreement still has some points of disagreement among countries and has been criticized by many non-governmental organizations. However, negotiators have promised to discuss these issues at the next COP22 climate change conference, which will take place in Marrakech from November 7 to 18, 2016.

Chu Thanh

(According to Le Monde)