COP24 President Michal Kurtyka celebrates during the final session of the UN Climate Change Conference 2018 in Katowice ( Reuters )
DECEMBER 16th 2018
By Patryk Krych | The World Daily
Poland Climate Agreements Made, But Are They Enough?
A deal has finally been agreed upon, after the many, many debates and arguments taking place over the course of two weeks in Katowice, Poland, between nearly 200 countries, in regards to making a climate deal of sorts to help combat the predicted future negative global impacts of overuse of fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions. Criticisms have been rampant, however, with many believing that the agreed upon deals won’t be enough.
The talks were meant to be seeking a way to limit the global temperature rises to at least “well below” 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2030, above pre-industrial levels. The framework was meant as a sort of rework of the 2015 Paris agreement, with greater details and greater ambition, but that agreement had fallen apart, some would argue, after America had publicised it was planning to leave the pact, under the ruling of President Donald Trump’s administration.
It was expected before the deal talks had begun that coming to any sort of agreement may have its difficulties, what with the Paris agreement coming apart in the way that it did. It is generally agreed upon that the task will be made a whole lot more difficult if America is not involved in the efforts – being one of the worlds greatest emitters of greenhouse gases.
Michal Kurtyka, Polish president of the talks, had said to the delegates that “It is not easy to find agreement on a deal so specific and technical. Through this package you have made a thousand little steps forward together. You can feel proud.”
There was a long and hard deadlock between a few countries, Brazil being one of them, but by the time the 11th hour struck, it had been successfully broken. It was a deadlock to do with accounting rules for the monitoring of carbon credits, though the majority of that conversation had been deferred to next year’s talks. With many topics put in the way, and talked out with consideration, a 156 page rulebook had been produced and established as the grounds that are to be followed by all countries in the deal.
A few ministers had voiced their displeasure with how the talks went, but they don’t despair, seeing as there are more future talks to be had, with more room for debates and changes. Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists said that “While some rulebook elements still need to be fleshed out, it is a foundation for strengthening the Paris Agreement and could help facilitate U.S. re-entry into the Paris Agreement by a future presidential administration.”
Many green groups, along with poorer countries who are suffering more already from the effects of global climate change, demand to know how the previously agreed upon $100 billion a year of climate finance by 2020 will be provided, and along with this, also have made demands that the carbon emission limits be cut at even harsher amounts, to properly quell the predicted issues of the future, many believing the current deal will not be enough.
The needs for improvements in the deal have been stressed in a statement by António Guterres, the United Nations Secretary-General, who left the talks on Thursday, saying “From now on, my five priorities will be: ambition, ambition, ambition, ambition and ambition.”
The report expressed an eagerness for greater change, continuing on and stating that; “And ambition must guide all member states as they prepare their (emissions cut plans) for 2020 to reverse the present trend in which climate change is still running faster than us.”
Though the United States administration were present during the talks, their main contribution and purpose there was an attempt at rebranding coal a potentially clean energy source – a contribution that didn’t get much support.
By Patryk Krych | The World Daily
