Sunday, November 20, 2016

Under Trump Shadow, Climate Talks Set 2018 Deadline to Agree Rules

UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa, second from left, Morocco's foreign minister Salaheddine Mezouar, centre, and Council of Europe goodwill ambassador Bianca Jagger, seconf from right, celebrate after the proclamation of Marrakech. (Credit: Reuters) Click to Enlarge.
Nearly 200 nations agreed around midnight on Friday to work out the rules for a landmark 2015 global deal to tackle climate change within two years in a new sign of international support for a pact opposed by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

At the end of two-week talks on global warming in Marrakesh, which were extended an extra day, many nations appealed to Trump, who has called climate change a hoax, to reconsider his threat to tear up the Paris Agreement for cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Showing determination to keep the Paris Agreement on track, the conference agreed to work out a rule book at the latest by December 2018.

A rule book is needed because the Paris Agreement left many details vague, such as how countries will report and monitor their national pledges to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Two years may sounds like a long time, but it took four to work out detailed rules for the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement's predecessor, which obliged only developed countries to cut their emissions. Paris requires commitments by all.

The final text also urged rich nations to keep building towards a goal of providing $100 billion a year in climate finance for developing countries by 2020.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar told a news conference that Marrakesh had been the start of turning promises made in Paris into action.

"We will continue on the path," he said, urging Trump to join other nations in acting to limit emissions.

Read more at Under Trump Shadow, Climate Talks Set 2018 Deadline to Agree Rules

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