Wednesday, December 3, 2014

MEETINGS ON CLIMATE CONTROL DRAW REPRESENTATIVES FROM 190 COUNTRIES

By TONI ELLINGTON

Officials and diplomats from 190 countries gathered in Lima, Peru on Monday, December 1, 2014, for a series of meetings which are intended to lay the groundwork for an international climate control pact to be signed at the Paris Climate Summit at the end of 2015.  The meetings in Peru are being sponsored by the United Nations, and are expected to last 12 days.  The U.S. team is being led by Todd Stern of the State Department.

Attendees hope to negotiate through some issues which may become barriers to a global agreement being signed in Paris.  In particular, some smaller and poorer countries want to ensure that a global agreement will be legally binding on larger countries like the United States.  Also, developing nations will seek financial support from major polluters to convert to renewable energy sources.  In addition, major oil producing countries like Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf nations are likely to seek compensation for their potential lost revenues from any international agreement which mandates that nations convert from oil-based energy to carbon-free energy sources.

The agreement between the United States and China announced last month has provided an important boost to the negotiations.  The United States and China are the world’s top emitters of carbon pollution.  Under the U.S. – China agreement, the two countries pledged to unprecedented steps to reduce carbon emissions over the next 15 years.

For more information, contact Toni Ellington at (504) 599-8500.

No comments:

Post a Comment