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Paris Climate Summit: Success Story Ending In Tears Of Joy

Feature Article Paris Climate Summit: Success Story Ending In Tears Of Joy
DEC 15, 2015 LISTEN

A new moment in history was created when 196 countries came together to unite behind the greatest moral challenge of our time and seal the deal on a historic climate treaty in Paris.

The deal calls on the world to collectively cut and then eliminate greenhouse gas pollution. Since 1922 when UN began negotiations to curb global warming, an agreement is just reached.

There are all signs this round we have dodged the disappointment we felt after all the previous discussions, most recent, 2009 Copenhagen climate conference. Copenhagen was utter failure of course.

But Paris and Copenhagen contrasts sharply. So as the Paris conference is done, it's worth turning about with memorable atmosphere and the extraordinary emotions that climaxed to the signing of the agreement.

To begin with, Paris offered a chance to write a different story as ambitions were more modest all the way to the city. No one was expecting the agreement to comprehensively achieve the 2-degree target! Moreover, intensive pressures were seen during the course of the event calling on COP to fix the target to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

As if this isn’t enough, it’s been said over and again that COP21 have been the only international diplomatic agenda passed without objections from any country. To a reception of whoops and cheers, Laurent Fabius, French foreign minister invited the COP [conference of the parties] to adopt the decision.

He emerged to the stage, flanked by high-ranking UN officials. The last-minute compromises had been resolved, he said. And suddenly they were all on their feet. With one bang of United Nations ceremonial gavel, the deal was passed immediately flaring up electrifying moment of cheers and ovations – a moment in history had occurred.

Paris produced an agreement labeled “historic, durable and ambitious”. Developed and developing countries alike are required to limit their emissions to relatively safe levels, of 2C with an aspiration of 1.5C, with regular reviews to ensure these commitments can be increased in line with scientific advice. Untold chunks of finance have also been promised to poor nations to help them cut emissions and cope with the effects of extreme weather.

As the news spread through the world, the reaction from civil society groups, governments and businesses, was overwhelmingly positive. Kumi Naidoo, executive director of Greenpeace International, summed up the mood: “It sometimes seems that the countries of the UN can unite on nothing, but nearly 200 countries have come together and agreed a deal. Today, the human race has joined in a common cause.”

Even as delegates celebrated at the conference’s end, there was a palpable sense of relief from the exhausted French hosts. At many points in this fortnight of marathon negotiating sessions, it looked as if a deal might be beyond reach. That it ended in success was a tribute in part to their diligence and efficiency and the efforts of the UN.

However, as regarding all voodoos following most human victories or failures, Paris’s might be the next target of the ghosts of planetary extinction. It’s time to guard our phenomenal achievements regardless of all possible flaws hidden within the draft document.

After studying the 31-page document, no one can’t tell the ball has been rolled to individual countries; heading towards shifting towards the goal of attaining ‘green economies’.

Paris has helped speed up the ongoing transition to a 100 per cent renewable energy future, protect people’s health, habitats and communities, and support the most vulnerable. To the victory of small island nations threatened by rising seas, the agreement includes a section recognizing "loss and damage" associated with climate-related disasters. This is not just an extra ‘credit of pity’ but rather to show that the global community is equally concerned about the state of small these countries being in the hell of high waters.

Ugandans like saying something like “water is life only when you don’t reside in Bwaise (the worst flood-prone area in Kampala). So we should know floods in islands is more suicidal for small Islanders.

We can now believe no man is an island because even the mighty U.S. had long objected to addressing the issue of small island countries, worrying that it would lead to claims of compensation for damage caused by extreme weather events but in the end, the issue was included, but a footnote specifically stated that loss and damage does not involve liability or compensation.

Africans say roads have no ends: road to Paris has ended but down the bend, corners approaching future negotiations are visible beginning with Rabat, Morocco’s. We hope Africans won’t sing ‘this time for Africa’ as if we are going to play world cup.

But we hope Africa will see matchless the opportunity to shape their home emissions decisions and make their voices heard ahead of Rabat’s further discussions about combating climate change come 2016.

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