The big oil producers refuse to accept an agreement that includes the report of the scientific panel of the UN that urges to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 ºC.
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U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the large oil producers of the world, are reluctant to accept the final report scientific that has been the basis for the negotiations of the Conference of the Parties (COP24, for its acronym in English and your edition number). Since last December 3, 197 countries have gathered in Katowice, Poland, to celebrate the Summit of the Climate in which you decide definitely when and how to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases to avoid global warming of the planet. The meeting, which is held every year and which is attended by more than 3,000 participants, concluded this Friday after a lengthy debate in which several states have opposed, once again, to accept the scientific evidence and, therefore, to follow some common guidelines.
The study, drawn up by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), considered the source more credible on this issue, warning of the serious consequences which we face of not being able to limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees celsius. “The climate impacts expected if it rises 3 ° C (our current trend) are severe,” he said to THE WORLD Louise Jeffery, scientist at the Potsdam Institute of Research on the Climate Impact (PIK, for its acronym in German), which forms part of the IPCC.
in Addition, “the science is very clear on the key issues for these negotiations,” said Jeffery in reference to the excuse of the countries that deny the report in which it has participated. “The action needed to reach the target temperature of Paris is also clear. Global CO2 emissions in 2030 should be about half of 2010 and net zero by 2050,” he added.
Jeffery has also commented that the report provides several steps key policy and options for reducing emissions, “as the phasing out of coal as quickly as possible. With the Paris Agreement, was granted flexibility to the parties on how to achieve emissions reductions, but these reductions are still necessary”, has been exposed. In Katowice, the countries have agreed on how to describe their national targets and how they will report their progress toward compliance. Is the so-called rule book of Paris that has been achieved at this summit.
Decisions to put in practice because
During the COP24, Poland has expressed, against the stance of the European Union, their preference for postponing to 2019, the decisions of the so-called Dialogue of Talanoa (what that has to do clearly each country to limit global warming). The host country of the summit, which is still very dependent on coal and should make a great effort to replace this energy source, has not provided, according to several sources consulted in this article, these negotiations.
The delay in taking drastic measures, such as advocates Europe, is a factor that plays against the planet. Each year that passes not only reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases, but that these increase, so that to delay the consensus is negative according to scientific experts. “It would be good to have the guidelines soon, so that countries can begin to develop their reporting systems and improve their climate strategies,” commented Jeffery. However, what will determine the future climate scenario “is the action on the ground. Countries should therefore, according to the expert, to begin work already to achieve their commitments and limit global warming to 1.5 ° C by 2020, as the first term of joint review and 2050 as the deadline for achieving net emissions neutral.
A new grand coalition of countries
The successive discrepancies that you are giving in all the summits of the atmosphere between the blocks of countries that are committed to ambitious targets to combat climate change and those who want to continue to rely on fossil fuels or those who do not want or can not follow the pace of the more developed countries gave place this Wednesday, with the announcement of a large coalition of states that are unchecked the rest.
They call themselves the Coalition of Ambition High and make up the European Union, Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Grenada, Italy, Jamaica, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The president of the Marshall Islands along with the european energy commissioner, Miguel Arias Cañete, are the big drivers of this new movement within the COP.
however, this proposal also highlighted the failure of the continuation of the Agreement for Paris 2015 and that does not just materialize in Katowice. “We have an enormous disappointment to see that the interests of the united States or Saudi arabia, are positioned in the face of science and, in this case against the scientific report presented last October and that is one of the fundamental issues to tackle climate change”, has expressed this through Javier Andaluz, head of the campaign climate of Ecologists in Action.
“We have the disappointment of seeing like the international community has been lukewarm about it,” he stressed. On the other hand, the Andalusian seen as a positive point in the formation of the new coalition. “The call of many countries to increase the ambition shows that, yes, that is true that have an interest and who want to show a certain initiative in the fight against climate change”
Greenpeace makes us reach the same opinion. “The text on the ambition is a start, but it is far from a negotiation finished here in Katowice. According to the degree of commitment of the texts so will be the impacts of climate change and the loss of life. People with fewer resources, the countries most impoverished and vulnerable require commitments far greater”, has been referred to in an e-mail from Katowice Tatiana Nuño, head of energy and climate change for Greenpeace in Spain.
from the summit Of the climate to the citizens,
Susana Magro, commissioner of the Government of the Community of Madrid to Climate Change, one of the most important points for achieving the targets and reducing emissions is the way in which to fund these commitments. “Without funding, to fight withtra climate change is a reality,” he said in a telephone conversation with this newspaper.
Magro, who had on Thursday a meeting with Arias Cañete, gave his opinion about the ambitious nature of getting to the descarbonificación in 2050, and what is necessary that the autonomous communities have the means to carry it out. “I asked that, since the European Union is to bolster the funding and that it reaches not only to states but also to the regions”. Although Europe has no competence within each state, in the case of Spain and, according to Magro, “are the autonomous communities which many times apply the measures but the climate financing do not come to us”
Magro has explained the difficulty for citizens to understand what is being discussed in the climate summit and the subsequent measures that you have to apply countries. “We need funding and concrete measures to ensure that the people can change vehicles or companies to work on energy efficiency.” In this sense, has highlighted that the Community of Madrid is already applying many measures of mobility, renewal of the car fleet and energy self-financed. “The ambition of climate and the great negotiations are very important, but then you have to move this to the day-to-day and to citizens.”
Companies and civil society in Katowice
In the COP24 not have only involved governments and experts but a large number of initiatives that have come from civil society. Companies, Ngos, foundations, all kinds of institutions, or groups of citizens have had the opportunity to actively participate and present proposals and give an idea of the high degree of social awareness that comes from many parts of the globe.
In this sense, are important initiatives that are based on companies that have a great responsibility in climate change. This is the case, for example, of Iberdrola, a great energy that announced in 2017 that would close all of its coal-fired power plants in the world.
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