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COP20—Lima Local weather Convention — International Points

August 5, 2024
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  • by Anup Shah
  • This web page Created

On this web page:

  1. Introduction
  2. Assembly end result
  3. Mainstream media reporting
  4. In context: widespread however differentiated tasks
  5. Extra data
  6. Information tales from IPS

Introduction

December 1 – 14, 2014, Lima, Peru was the venue for the twentieth annual United Nations Local weather Change Convention, also called the twentieth Convention of the Events — or COP 20.

The aim of this convention was to create a common settlement on local weather change motion and start the method of financing mitigation.

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Assembly end result

The assembly ended with all nations agreeing to chop again greenhouse fuel emissions. Generally known as the Lima Accord, this treaty just isn’t legally binding and international locations would not have to specify how a lot they’ll reduce, as an alternative agreeing to report their plans again by March 2015.

Whereas for a lot of it gave the impression of a profitable end result, others have been dissatisfied, resembling poor international locations struggling to rebuild from present impacts of local weather change who have been alarmed on the disappearance of loss and injury commitments from the ultimate textual content which has been a part of the dialogue for years.

The worldwide local weather motion, 350.org, summarized the disappointments and hopeful elements of the assembly end result, noting

  1. The brand new settlement doesn’t replicate the urgency of the local weather disaster
  2. Some good agreements – however no measures to make sure implementation
  3. Least developed and susceptible nations unnoticed within the chilly
  4. Divestment (from fossil gas reliance) is extra necessary than ever
  5. International momentum for actual options is stronger than ever and can carry on going.

In attempting to place a constructive spin on the general disappointment they felt, they concluded, In the long run, a worldwide local weather treaty is only one software to fight local weather change. Actual change goes to proceed to come back from the grassroots. The UN Local weather Talks proceed to be a spot the place the world’s international locations comes collectively to debate this disaster and persons are placing in huge efforts to verify Paris [the next global meeting] received’t be like Copenhagen which was filled with disappointments regardless of massive guarantees.

Samantha Smith, Chief of WWF’s International Local weather and Power Initiative, was fairly scathing of the assembly end result saying that political expediency received over scientific urgency. She additionally famous that Developed nation governments couldn’t even handle to elucidate how they’ll ship the long-promised US$100 billion per yr in local weather finance by 2020. In a transfer that seemingly dismissed the plight of probably the most susceptible international locations, they utterly eliminated any significant language about ‘loss and injury’.

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Mainstream media reporting

As with virtually each earlier assembly (with occasional exceptions), mainstream media reporting was very poor given the significance of this international challenge. The place the assembly was reported it was typically in the direction of the tip, and simply sound chunk sort summaries saying all international locations agreed to emission cuts and that this was a serious enchancment.

Whereas the treaty continued to say it honors the long-standing widespread however differentiated tasks the mainstream media reporting (as in most years) has usually failed to supply clarification and context of this precept that has been an necessary a part of these talks for over 2 many years; that poor and creating international locations shouldn’t bear the identical tasks because the developed ones (as a result of they don’t seem to be the reason for the anthropogenic carbon emissions over the earlier many years which have led to this, which is detailed way more on this web site’s web page on local weather justice).

A touch in the direction of this precept could have been offered as a viewpoint of China or India, given the impression they’re being obstacles, quite then explaining this precept in additional context.

That was simply one of many points skirted over or omitted from widespread reporting. Others included points on financing, expertise help for poorer nations, and many others. Behind the scenes, for many years, wealthy international locations have stalled on this stuff or actively prevented attempting to share expertise and many others, which is barely reported.

Yearly, this criticism is made from mainstream reporting, so with out following these negotiations every year, it may be simple to come back away with the impression that this assembly had a constructive end result.

However as this dialogue hosted by Democracy Now! exhibits, there have been numerous necessary problems with rivalry:

Emissions-Reducing Deal Reached at COP 20 Lima, However Will It Assist Forestall Catastrophic Local weather Change?, Democracy Now!, December 15, 2014.

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In context: widespread however differentiated tasks

A few years in the past all nations agreed that local weather change was largely the results of actions from at the moment’s industrialized nations, as carbon dioxide — the principle greenhouse fuel — stays within the environment for many years. But, the poorest would find yourself struggling probably the most for an issue they largely didn’t trigger. The approaches to mitigation (emissions discount) would subsequently be completely different for these teams of nations — the widespread however differentiated tasks precept.

It’s on this context that the dialogue for loss and injury has come about. And it’s one thing that wealthy international locations are eager to eliminate .

The years of resistance on this challenge (and lots of others) means every time it’s mentioned once more the reactions appear to get much more hostile. Mixed with the shortage of detailed context within the mainstream media protection of this facet, it then turns into simpler every time to see culprits as China and India given their huge greenhouse emissions in recent times, in comparison with the far higher quantity by the industrialized nations over the longer interval. See this web site’s part on local weather justice for extra detailed background.

And as this web site has mentioned for years on the local weather justice web page, the wealthy nations are delaying any significant motion till it’s ultimately — and disproportionately — paid for the by the creating nations. New Delhi primarily based Nitin Sethi, affiliate editor at Enterprise Commonplace, interviewed within the earlier talked about video says the identical factor, however extra frankly:

There isn’t any motion that’s going to occur between now and 2020. All of that was to be carried out by the developed international locations. They [rich nations] mainly have simply mentioned at Lima that we aren’t going to do any greater than what we’re doing up to now, and the burden can shift onto the post-2020 period, the place different creating international locations need to share it. So, to me, it signifies actually negotiation in dangerous religion.

Nitin Sethi, Emissions-Reducing Deal Reached at COP 20 Lima, However Will It Assist Forestall Catastrophic Local weather Change?, Democracy Now!, December 15, 2014

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Extra data

Because the convention continues to be underway as this web page is written, extra data might be added right here after the occasion is over.

For extra concerning the points from different organizations, listed below are some beginning factors:

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Information tales from IPS

Under is a listing of tales from Inter Press Service associated to the Lima local weather convention and its aftermath.

  1. Belém Enhancing to Host 2025 Local weather Summit in Brazil