2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference
File:2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference logo.jpg | |
Date | 30 November 2015 11 December 2015 | –
---|---|
Location | Le Bourget in the suburb of Paris, France |
Also known as | COP 21/CMP 11 |
Participants | UNFCCC member countries |
Website | Venue site UNFCCC site |
The 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP 21 or CMP 11 will be held in Le Bourget, from November 30 to December 11.[1] It will be the 21st yearly session of the Conference of the Parties to the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 11th session of the Meeting of the Parties to the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.[2] The conference objective is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world.[3][4] Leadership of the negotiations is yet to be determined.
Background
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Co2-1990-2012.svg/350px-Co2-1990-2012.svg.png)
According to the organizing committee, the objective of the 2015 conference is to achieve, for the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, a binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world.[1]
Pope Francis published an encyclical called Laudato si' intended, in part, to influence the conference. The encyclical calls for action against climate change. The International Trade Union Confederation has called for the goal to be "zero carbon, zero poverty", and the general secretary Sharan Burrow has repeated that there are "no jobs on a dead planet".
Location and participation
The location of UNFCCC talks is rotated by regions throughout United Nations countries. The 2015 conference will be held at Le Bourget from November 30 to December 11, 2015.[5]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Greenpeace_Climate_March_2015_Madrid.jpg/220px-Greenpeace_Climate_March_2015_Madrid.jpg)
One day before the opening ceremony of the COP21 conference, on 29 November, thousands of activists at the Global Climate March demand more efforts from the delegates, coming together in Paris.
Negotiations
The overarching goal of the Convention is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit the global temperature increase to 2 °C above pre-industrial levels.[6] However, Christiana Figueres acknowledged in the closing briefing at the 2012 Doha conference "the current pledges under the second commitment period of the Kyoto protocol are clearly not enough to guarantee that the temperature will stay below 2 °C and there is an ever increasing gap between the action of countries and what the science tells us."
During previous climate negotiations, countries agreed to outline actions they intend to take within a global agreement by March 2015. These commitments are known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDCs.[7]
Draft declarations
As is usual before such major conferences, major NGOs and groups of governments have drafted and published a wide variety of declarations they intend to seek a consensus on, at the Paris conference itself. These include at least the following major efforts:
- ICLEI at its World Congress, launched the new Transformative Actions Program (TAP) intended to progress local and subnational action ahead of COP21[8] to build on its
2005 COP11 (Montreal summit) commitments,[9] Triple Bottom Line framework arising from that, and other local efforts.
- European capital and large cities for climate action en route to COP 21 Declaration, adopted March 26, 2015 by "representatives of EU capitals and large cities of 28 EU Member States at the Mayors Meeting organized by Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris and Ignazio Marino, Mayor of Rome, who argue that "urban areas exposed to climate change are also essential innovation testing zones",[10] which is the focus of the ICLEI mechanisms, metrics and 2005 declaration.
- Private, corporate and private-public partnerships
- At the World Summit of Regions for Climate (WSRC) in Paris 2014, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Founder of R20, invited a coalition of governments, businesses and investors to sign a draft "Paris Declaration" at World Climate Summit in Lima 2014, World Green Economy Summit 2015 in Dubai and COP21.[11]
- The Shift project by French business organizations.[12]
- Indigenous peoples efforts include:
- Asian indigenous peoples declaration[13]
- IPACC acting for African indigenous peoples[14] in particular but also worldwide[15]
- A vast range of groups and peoples "seeking presence in post-2015" development, e.g. the Centre for Autonomy and Development of Indigenous People in Nicaragua[16]
- Many indigenous polities and sovereignties seeking recognition under the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples[17] who demanded recognition and change also in 2014 at the 2014 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Lima.[18] In 2015 this will include those with specific grievances, e.g. the Wabanaki Confederacy in its opposition to hydraulic fracturing and Energy East, has announced it will send a diplomatic representative regarding events in 2013 in New Brunswick that highlighted the relative imbalance of power to resist fossil fuel corporations even on unceded lands:
- Canada is the home to 75% of the worlds mining corporations, and they have tended to have relative impunity in the Canadian Courts - Winona LaDuke[19]
- Women's Earth and Climate Action Network seeking "powerful submissions by worldwide women" sharing "stories, struggles, solutions and action plans ... [a] women's climate justice mobilization"[20]
- Countries of the Mediterranean Sea. Dam Bridge, Strait of Gibraltar, S.A. (PPEGSA). The first draft PresaPuente adapting to climate change is designed to protect the Mediterranean the imminent rising waters the polar thaw. More than 24 countries, over 500 million people, more than 15,000 islands and thousands of Km. Of coast which can be saved from flooding.
- Solar alliance: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced at the 2015 G-20 Summit that he, along with French President François Hollande, intends to propose creating an alliance of solar-rich countries similar to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).[21][22][23] Ahead of the climate summit, the two leaders sent written invites to over 100 countries to join the coalition proposed to be called the International Agency for Solar Policy and Application (InSPA).[24]
- A vast range of other activities[25] in preparation to influence the major decisions at the conference.
Financing
The conference was budgeted to cost €170m (£122m). The French government said that 20% of the cost will be borne by firms such as EDF, Engie (formerly known as GDF Suez), Air France, Renault-Nissan and BNP Paribas.[26]
See also
- IPCC Fifth Assessment Report
- Politics of global warming
- Post–Kyoto Protocol negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions
References
- ^ a b "Issues and reasons behind the French offer to host the 21st Conference of the Parties on Climate Change 2015". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 22 May 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ^ "19th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC". International Institute for Sustainable Development. Retrieved 20 February 2013.
- ^ The Editorial Board (28 November 2015). "What the Paris Climate Meeting Must Do". New York Times. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
- ^ Borenstein, Seth (29 November 2015). "Earth is a wilder, warmer place since last climate deal made". Retrieved 29 November 2015.
- ^ "France confirmed as host of 2015 Climate Conference". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 22 November 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2014.
- ^ "Schedule of Events" (PDF). United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
- ^ "What is an INDC? | World Resources Institute". Wri.org. 2015-11-10. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "ICLEI World Congress 2015 sees Mayors commit ahead of Paris COP 21 - Bridging the Gap". Transport2020.org. 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "World Mayors and Municipal Leaders Declaration on Climate Change" (PDF). Archive.iclei.org. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "European capital and large cities for climate action en route to COP 21" (PDF). Stadtentwicklung.berlin.de. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "World Summit of Regions for Climate". Regions-climate.org. 2014-10-11. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "signs a declaration in preparation for the COP 21". The Shift Project. 2014-07-17. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "Asia Indigenous Peoples' Declaration on the 21st Session of the UNFCCC-Conference of Parties (COP21)". Aippnet.org. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "Indigenous Peoples of Africa Co-ordinating Committee". IPACC. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "Looking ahead COP21: State of negotiations on the Indigenous Peoples' agenda". Ipcca.info. 2015-09-11. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "Indigenous Peoples Seek Presence in Post-2015 Development Agenda | Inter Press Service". Ipsnews.net. 2014-09-04. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples" (PDF). Un.org. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "Summary of Indigenous People's Demands for UNFCCC CoP20, Lima, Peru | Forest Peoples Programme". Forestpeoples.org. 2014-12-01. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "When Drones Guard the Pipeline: Militarizing Fossil Fuels in the East | Earth First! Newswire". Earthfirstjournal.org. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ "Global Women's Climate Justice Day of Action - Sept. 29, 2015 | WECAN". Wecaninternational.org. 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ http://www.firstpost.com/world/g20-summit-modi-pushes-for-100-bn-finances-to-pursue-clean-energy-proposes-grand-global-solar-alliance-2507518.html
- ^ http://www.firstpost.com/fwire/india-should-take-initiatives-to-form-league-like-opec-modi-281550.html
- ^ http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/india-should-take-initiatives-to-form-league-like-opec-narendra-modi/938987/
- ^ http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/narendra-modi-francois-hollande-invite-over-100-countries-for-solar-alliance/articleshow/49925633.cms
- ^ Bisiaux, Alice. "Event: UNFCCC COP 21 | Climate Change Policy & Practice | IISD Reporting Services". Climate-l.iisd.org. Retrieved 2015-11-15.
- ^ Arthur Neslen (29 May 2015). "France defends 'imperfect' fossil fuel sponsors for Paris climate summit". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 September 2015.
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External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official French website
- Official UN website
- Official Paris Climate Conference
- Climate Change? => Real Answers (NYT – 2015)
- COP21 questions and answers. Video by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Why COP21 matters, and how climate change impacts sustainable development. Video by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- Background on COP21 from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
- International Disaster Database
- NOAA State of the Climate