Paris is hosting a global climate change summit, with at least 150 heads of state traveling to the French capital amid heightened security on safety fears. The challenge is to reach a universal climate pact, applicable to all countries worldwide.
01 December 2015
Argentina’s Vice President Amado Boudou said that the interests of developing countries need to be considered in the final agreement that is expected to be signed at the end of the climate change conference in Paris.
“We need an agreement with a differential approach that would take into account the needs of developing countries,” Boudou said on Monday.
He added that countries should have the freedom to choose in which sectors they want to reduce emissions. “Agriculture is not a major global source of pollution and climate change threatens global food security.”
30 November 2015
British Prime Minister David Cameron called on the leaders gathered at the conference to sign a deal that would be a binding legal mechanism providing aid to the poorest and most vulnerable countries in terms of finance and assuring the transfer of technologies from the richest countries to poorest ones.
“It is not difficult [to reach an agreement], it is doable,” Cameron said. “What would we tell our grandchildren if we fail to agree on a deal?” he added.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India wants to provide energy to the 200 million Indians who have no access to it. He also called on developed countries to make clean energy accessible to the developing world.
“Developed countries must fulfill that responsibility to make clean energy available, affordable, and accessible to all the developing world,” Modi said.
“Energy is a basic human need, so we need an ambitious technology initiative, driven by a public purpose, not just market incentives. This includes intellectual property. For this we need to scale up the green climate fund,” he added.
According to World Bank data, India’s carbon dioxide emissions are the third highest in the world, after that of China and the US.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said technologies are essential for responding to the climate crisis. He said that this crisis requires a global solution and called for further investment in sustainable technologies. Netanyahu also reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to the goals of sustainable development.
“We must learn to do more with less, and Israel is a small country with big ideas. I believe it is not enough that we have those ideas or apply them only to our country, we are eager to share them with you,” he said.
Ikililou Dhoinine, president of the Indian Ocean island nation of Comoros, said: "We are not able to finance basic investments as a result of our modest resources...we must accept the reality that climate change is progressing more quickly than international climate change negotiations. We must therefore act differently. Time is running out. The entire world is placing its hope in us. This is the only chance we have to save our planet so let us seize the opportunity before it is too late."
Indonesia's president, Joko Widodo, says his country is committed to reducing its emissions by 29 percent, or by 41 percent with assistance from developed countries.
Widodo says this will be achieved by reallocating fossil fuel subsidies, increasing the proportion of renewables in the energy mix to 23 percent by 2025, and by converting waste to energy.
He says the country has established a moratorium on new permits for peat land, which are desired by companies looking to create new plantations, including for palm oil.
The president of Kenya, Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, says that although his country contributes just 0.1 percent of global emissions, the government has laid out a climate plan which maps out an expansion in solar, geothermal, and wind power.
This Ruptly video shows French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius and Britain's Prince Charles speaking at the summit earlier on Monday.
Christopher J. Loeak, president of the Marshall Islands, says "COP21 must be a turning point in history," and "one that gives us hope."
He called for renewable energy instead of fossil fuels, and said the Paris deal must review targets every five years.
The Philippines is disproportionately affected by climate change, according to President Benigno S.Aquino III. He called for more climate finance for small island states and vulnerable nations.
The leader added that the Philippines is aiming to plant 1.5 billion trees by next year, which would save 30 million tons of carbon annually. He said renewables account for 33 percent of the country's energy.
The prime minister of New Zealand, John P. Key, has announced that his government is giving $20 million for a program to help reduce emissions from agriculture, as well as $200 million for climate-related support for its Pacific island nations.
He noted that almost 80 percent of the country's electricity already comes from renewables, but around half the nation's emissions are from agriculture.
“While New Zealand’s emissions are small on a global scale, we are determined to make a strong contribution to the international effort,” he said.
The president of Chad, Idriss Déby Itno, has called for action to save Lake Chad, which is shrinking in size.
“This basin that supports 30 million people directly is threatened now from disappearing," he said.
He also called for increased action for the Sahel, "whose population is among the most vulnerable to climate change."
“Paris is giving us a historic opportunity, let us grab that opportunity for future generations. Long live COP21, long live humanity,” said Alassane Ouattara, president of Côte d’Ivoire.
The president of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, says his country will commit to emissions cuts of 20 percent unconditional and 45 percent conditional on support by 2030.
He said Nigeria will meet its goal by making more use of natural gas, climate smart agriculture, energy efficient measures, and investment in renewable energy.
Buhari called on developed countries to honor their promises to provide climate finance to less developed nations.
“The Paris agreement must be legally binding and results orientated; a fair multilateral and rules based regime," he said. He also called for a system in charge of monitoring and reviews.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Palestine has “made great progress to adopt necessary laws” related to climate change, but that “the continued Israeli occupation and violation of international laws related to the environment is one of the main challenges. Our resources are being usurped, our trees are being uprooted, our agriculture is being destroyed.”
He called on the international community to expand and enhance participation to create peace, and thanked those countries which recognize the state of Palestine.
This Ruptly video shows increased security surrounding the summit venue in Paris.
The president of Niger, Issoufou Mahamadou, says the effects of climate change are already tangible in many countries, including Niger which has "periods of drought, followed by floods, leading to serious losses and seriously trying the resilience of people."
The president of Kiribati, Anote Tong, says a Paris deal must be legally binding, adding that "the future of people - men, women and children, whole cultures, whole communities, villages, cities and nations - hangs in the balance."
Kiribati is a low-lying, Pacific island state.
The president of Mauritania, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, said "the environmental challenges facing us are enormous," citing desertification and coastal erosion as two of the biggest threats to his nation.
“The challenge of climate change requires that we limit by the year 2100 the increase in temperatures to 2C, so we need to reach an agreement, we need a legally-binding instrument...to reach this goal, requires a sprit of solidarity and sacrifice," he said.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the international community "is on the verge of a new era in combating climate change."
"We all need to do our part to successfully conclude negotiations in the next two weeks," he added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and China's Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the summit.
Referring to the November 13 terror attacks in Paris, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić said that life and freedom have won because the leaders have met in the French capital today.
He said Serbia is committed to tackling climate change.
However, his government's climate plan submitted earlier this year was criticized as it appeared to allow for a rise in carbon emissions, rather than a cut.
The president of Nauru Baron Waqa, an equatorial small island state, said: "Small island communities pay in the droughts that destroy livelihoods and record cyclones. We see a small toll exacted every day as our shorelines are slowly eroded…small island communities are among the first to pay the price of climate change. But no one will escape forever...we have a choice: we can pay in human misery or pay investing in a more equitable, resilient and sustainable future."
Nauru Baron Waqa, one of the most remote places in the world, represents the smallest nation state in the UN.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Barack Obama have just met for a closed-door meeting on the sidelines of the climate summit, RIA Novosti reported.
French President Francois Hollande commended Putin for being brief and keeping to his allotted time.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says "climate change has become one of the gravest challenges that humanity is facing."
He said that Russia is taking the lead in terms of reducing its energy intensity.
“We have gone beyond our commitments under the Kyoto Protocol. From 1991 to 2012, Russia significantly reduced its emissions...[equivalent to] 40 billion tonnes of CO2e into the atmosphere...at the same time we have doubled GDP.”
He added that Russia will continue contributing to joint efforts aimed at preventing global warming.
This Ruptly video shows Britain's David Cameron and Prince Charles arriving at the summit on Monday morning.
Merkel says leaders have to show they can deliver what they promised in Copenhagen - a $100 billion a year climate aid to poorer countries by 2020.
She stressed the need for a review mechanism for countries' climate plans, adding that nations must live up to those commitments.
“This is a question of environmental necessity, but also of economic common sense...our very future as humankind hinges on this...billions of people are pinning their hopes on what we achieve here in Paris,” she said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the world leaders' presence in Paris, just two weeks after the Paris attacks, shows that they are "stronger than the terrorists."
Speaking of climate change, Merkel said "we are more than aware of the need to act today."
China's president, Xi Jinping, says it is necessary to respect differences between countries' various levels of development and ability to cut emissions. He added that addressing climate change should not impair the ability of nations to develop.
"It is important to respect the differences among countries, especially developing countries," he said.
He stated that China has been actively involved in tackling climate change, citing the country's record on renewable energy.
This Ruptly video shows world leaders arriving at the summit on Monday morning.
Obama said he believes, in the world's of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., that "there is such a thing as being too late, and when it comes to climate change, that hour is almost upon us."
"Here in Paris, we can show the world what is possible when we come together," Obama said. "Let there be no doubt, the next generation is watching what we do."
"Let's show businesses and investors that the global economy is on a firm path towards a low carbon future," Obama said.
"We know the truth, that many nations have contributed little to climate change, but will be the first to feel its most destructive effects," Obama said.
Obama says he embraces responsibility to do something about climate change, as the US is the number two greenhouse gas emitter.
The king of Morocco has lost his voice, so his son delivered his address on his behalf.
He said the natural world is threatened because the international community has so far failed to act sufficiently. He added that there is not a single country that will be spared the consequences of climate change.
The president of Paraguay, Horacio Cartes, says the country has a lot of forests and is planting more trees. He says Paraguay is not a big contributor to climate change, but it suffers from its impacts.
“Let’s change history...let’s wake up,” he said.
"The whole of Nature cries out at our mistreatment of Her. If the planet were a patient, we would have treated her long ago. You, Ladies and Gentlemen, have the power to put her on life support, and you must surely start the emergency procedures without further procrastination," the UK's Prince Charles said at the summit.
The full transcript of his speech can be found here.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius referenced a large photograph in the conference hall which has a tree whose leaves have been replaced with plastic bags.
“It’s a kind of skeleton, in an environment that has become inhumane," he said, as quoted by the Guardian.
In the middle of the photograph is a butterfly, which he says is a symbol of hope.
“And that is where we are. Either we fail in Paris and spread desolation everywhere, or we succeed and spread a bright future...” he said.
Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, tweeted live from the event.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be meeting his Turkish counterpart, Tayyip Erdogan, at the summit, according to Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The spokesman did, however, state that Putin is likely to talk to US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the summit.
French President Francois Hollande says the fights against terrorism and global warming are closely linked.
"I can't separate the fight with terrorism from the fight against global warming," he said at the opening of the Monday talks.
"These are two big global challenges we have to face up to, because we have to leave our children more than a world freed of terror, we also owe them a planet protected from catastrophes."
Ban Ki-moon says that national emissions pledges from more than 180 countries are a good start, but are not enough to curb global warming at the two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) limit which scientists say can prevent the worst consequences.
"Paris must mark a decisive turning point," he said. "We need to go much faster, much further if we are to limit the global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius."
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon tells world leaders that "the fate of the Paris agreement rests with you...the future of the people of the world is in your hands. We cannot afford indecision, half measures, or merely gradual approaches; our goal must be a transformation."
He went on to mention protests on Sunday in numerous cities which were aimed at pressuring world leaders into strengthening environmental policy and last year's People's Climate March. He added that participants in those rallies are sending their voices to world leaders, and urged leaders to listen.
US President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have arrived at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris.
Up to 120,000 police and army personnel have been deployed to keep the French capital safe as 150 world leaders, including US President Barack Obama, China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin are set to arrive in Paris for a global climate change summit.
French President Francois Hollande arrived, followed by Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon, at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, Monday. The pair were the first to arrive at the historic climate change summit taking place in the French capital which is set to aim at reaching an international agreement on cutting carbon emissions.