Climate deal between developing-developed nations reached at Lima
December 14, 2014, 7:17 am

Acceding to demands of developing countries like BRICS, the draft UN text said it “Underscores its commitment to reaching an ambitious agreement in 2015 that reflects the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances” [Image: US EPA]

The draft agreement adopted on Sunday titled “Lima Call for Climate Action”, “urges developed country Parties to provide and mobilize enhanced financial support to developing country Parties for ambitious mitigation and adaptation actions”.

The deal eked out Sunday morning in Lima reached acceptable but not satisfying results and leaving unresolved issues to climate conference in Paris, in December next year.

As the final hours of the Lima conference ticked away and ran into overtime for over 30 hours, parties began to soften their hard lines to come to an agreement. Countries had strived very hard to reach a pact on the basis of a slimmed-down draft decision text which had been modified for several times.

Acceding to demands of developing countries like BRICS, the draft UN text said it “Underscores its commitment to reaching an ambitious agreement in 2015 that reflects the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances”.

China has insisted on the “equality principle, common but differentiated responsibilities” during the Lima talks.

Beijing was reiterating calls by developing countries that say rich countries must do far more to cut emissions since they contributed the most to environment degradation since the Industrial Revolution.

It was also decided on Sunday that “the protocol, another legal instrument or agreed outcome with legal force under the Convention applicable to all Parties shall address in a balanced manner, inter alia, mitigation, adaptation, finance, technology development and transfer, and capacity-building, and transparency of action and support,” said the UN draft text agreed at in Lima.

Participants at the 20th Conference of Parties (COP20) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Lima have struggled to break a deadlock between the developed and developing countries over the past two weeks, aimed at working out a draft for a new international climate deal ahead of key talks in Paris in 2015.

These nations will now submit their Intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) or domestic plans of action to combat climate change in the first half of 2015.

Most countries will announce their “reduction targets” in Q1 next year. These will then become a patchwork quilt of INDCs knit into one international agreement in Paris.

Following the initial submission of INDCs, there will be an assessment phase to review countries’ INDCs and possibly adjust them before the Paris Climate Summit (COP 21).

TBP