Paris climate change agreement |
Delegates from 190 countries promised to reduce world temperature rises to "well below" 2C. Announcing the deal , French foreign minister Laurent Fabius said "the world holds its breath" as ministers prepare to either reject or accept the "historic deal". Principally they have agreed to keep the average temperature rise "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels. Vulnerable countries - like the Marshall Islands in Micronesia - pushed for a 1.5C limit but the draft deal only promises to make it a target rather than a pledge. The other major concession to the vulnerable countries is the proposal for a review system where countries must submit their plans to tackle climate change individually and have them revised every five years. But it also makes limited concessions to developing countries - acknowledging "urgent need to enhance the provision of finance, technology and capacity" and promote "universal access to sustainable energy" - particularly in Africa - with a focus on renewables. Significantly, the Paris treaty is the first major international agreement on climate change since the Kyoto Protocol was agreed in 1997.For years, developing countries - in particular China - are perceived to have been holding up climate change talks due to fears about how it will affect their growing economies.
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