COP21: Efforts to overcome obstacles

(Baonghean) -According to the plan, at 6:00 p.m. on December 11, local time (midnight December 11, Hanoi time), the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) in Paris must sign a global agreement on cutting emissions that are causing global warming. However, the deadline has passed, but negotiations will have to continue at least until today (December 12), due to some unresolved issues and disagreements.

A draft outcome of the COP21 conference. Photo: Guardian.

Positive signal

Negotiators in Paris are now on the brink of reaching a global deal to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and beyond, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday, as he presented a third draft of the agreement, with many of the sticking points ironed out.

After studying the draft and chairing a meeting of the developed countries, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said she thought the draft was “about 80% there.” “There is still a lot of work to do, particularly on the financial issues and the division between developing and developed countries… But I remain hopeful that we will reach an agreement,” she said.

Meanwhile, leading non-governmental observers also agreed that the negotiations were finally making progress. Jennifer Morgan, global director of the climate program at the World Resources Institute, said “significant progress” had been made.

Despite the optimistic signs and positive comments above, Mr. Fabius still believes that the negotiations need to be extended by one more day and end later than expected today (December 12). It is not unusual for climate negotiations organized by the United Nations to extend this time, such as the 2011 meeting in Durban that also lasted until early morning on a weekend, so if the negotiations end later than expected this time, it will not be too surprising for those who are interested in following.

The sprint negotiations, also known as marathon negotiations, were also a feature of this conference, when Mr. Fabius gave the participating countries 2 hours to study the latest draft before holding another meeting, less formal, scheduled to take place late at night on December 11 local time, or early this morning Vietnam time.

According to Mr. Fabius, the all-night session will come up with the necessary solutions, and negotiators will have about 30-45 minutes to work together to resolve any remaining impasses. After two similar meetings on the night of December 9, one chaired by Foreign Minister Fabius, the other by Peruvian Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, which lasted until 5am and 8am the following day (December 10), this is the next opportunity for all countries to voice their concerns, ensuring that no side's views are overlooked or not heard. And like Foreign Minister Fabius, many are pinning their hopes on this meeting to be able to officially release the final draft today.

The final hurdles

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who holds the position of President of COP21, believes that a final agreement will be reached today (December 12). Photo: AP.

Since the talks began 12 days ago, there are still key and contentious issues remaining.

First, vulnerable island states and many other countries that support the idea of ​​an ambitious deal are insisting that the final draft must set a threshold for global warming to be kept below 1.5 degrees Celsius. Several ministers who spoke at the meetings on the night of December 9 said they would not go back while there was even a vague “compassionate attitude” on the issue. The latest draft seeks to resolve the issue by saying that countries will “keep the increase in the global average temperature well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius, recognizing that this would represent a significant reduction in the risks and impacts of climate change.” This is by far the most likely option, and one that most parties can agree on.

Second, developing countries said the agreement needed to be clear about the financial support they would receive to help cut emissions and tackle climate change. Developing countries wanted the $100 billion target to be a floor for 2020, with a gradual increase in subsequent years. The final draft also contained differences on the ambition of the financial support target.

Third, developed countries, including the United States and Australia, which are also vulnerable, are insisting that the agreement make it clear that all countries will eventually have to account for and report their emissions in similar ways, and that their commitments will be reviewed regularly. Developing countries, meanwhile, want to maintain the division between rich and poor countries that was established in the 1992 climate framework conference, an issue that has not been resolved as of the 11th day of COP21.

Fourth, the debate over loss and damage is also not settled. The draft proposes a global review in 2019 – before the 2020-2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction commitments come into force, followed by a review in 2020 for countries with 2025 targets and an optional review for countries with 2030 targets.

Although Erwin Jackson, Deputy Executive Director of the Climate Institute, said that this year's conference has a good chance of achieving the best possible results, there are still key political issues to be resolved. And this year's COP21 President, French Foreign Minister Fabius, also said: "I will not present the draft on Friday night as I thought, but on Saturday morning. There is still work to be done. Everything is going in the right direction." "Slowly but surely", hopefully COP21 will not waste the waiting effort and expectations of public opinion, and a practical and most successful agreement will be presented, pleasing all parties involved.

Thu Giang

(According to Guardian)