'Powerful' climate deal within reach as delegates vote in Paris

Luke Skywalker · Dec 12, 2015

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[h=4]'Powerful' climate deal within reach as delegates vote in Paris[/h]PARIS – Delegates from nearly 200 countries were eagerly waiting the Saturday release of what summit organizers say will soon be the first global climate agreement.

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Thousands of protesters held hands beneath the Eiffel Tower and denounced an impending Paris climate accord as too weak to save the planet. (Dec. 12) AP

A climate activist holds a placard during a demonstration in Paris, Dec.12, 2015, during the COP21, the United Nations Climate Change Conference.(Photo: Matt Dunham, AP)

PARIS —*Delegates from 195 countries prepared to give their approval Saturday to a historic accord that*would impose aggressive curbs on*man-made greenhouse gases blamed for putting Earth on a dangerous warming path.
A final draft submitted by host France calls for limiting rising temperatures to within 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared to pre-industrial levels by the year 2100. But it keeps the door open to a more ambitious 1.5-degree (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) rise sought by some small island nations threatened by rising sea levels*— one of many catastrophic consequences of global warming.
Pope Francis, who has urged a vigorous fight against global warming, has endorsed the tougher target.
The final draft, presented after nearly two weeks of debate, also pledges rich developed nations to provide financial support to developing countries as they adopt changes needed to meet the temperature targets.The document does not specify how much aid wold be required to meet the 2-degree target.
Use of fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, are principal culprits in causing greenhouse gases but they also are the fuels developing economies rely on to expand their economies. Switching to renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, would be very costly for them.
French president Francois Hollande told delegates they had the future of the planet in their hands.*"It is rare to have an opportunity to change the world,"*Hollande told the negotiators. "You have it and you must grasp it."
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, president of the climate change summit, said the " powerful" document*represented the “best possible balance” between the priorities of all countries, rich and*poor, large and*small.
"By including a long-term temperature goal of below 2 degrees of warming with a reference to a 1.5-degree goal, the latest draft text sends a strong signal that governments are committed to being in line with science,"*said Tasneem Essop of World Wide Fund for Nature. "What we need now is for their actions, including emission reductions and finance, to add up to delivering on that goal."
Once the conference adopts an agreement, the process moves toward*getting national legislatures to approve the agreement. In the latest draft, ratification requires approval of at least 55 countries representing 55%*of the world’s emissions to sign on before 2020.
A broad consensus of climate scientists predicts that*global warming if left unchecked will wreak havoc on the planet, from extreme weather patterns to the extinction of many species of animals and plants.
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'Powerful' climate deal within reach as delegates vote in Paris

Luke Skywalker

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