Momentum building on climate change

A consensus seems to be developing on important elements of a new global agreement designed to combat climate change, according to a report from The Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

Vision for Paris: Building an Effective Climate Agreement was prepared by Valli Moosa of South Africa and Harald Dovland of Norway, co-chairs of a year-long dialogue among negotiators from Brazil, China, the United States, and 17 other countries involved in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) on an agreement to be reached this December in Paris.

"Certainly there are tough negotiations ahead, but the broad outlines of a deal are becoming clear," said Dovland, former lead climate negotiator for Norway and co-chair of several UNFCCC negotiating bodies. "We're encouraged, because behind the scenes we see a real desire to find common ground."

For more than 20 years, international discussions have been held to address climate change, yet the emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases continue to rise. The UN pact represents an attempt to limit and reduce emissions that many believe threaten the climate system.

Moosa and Dovland's report, released Wednesday, foresees a "hybrid" agreement in Paris that combines several elements designed to get maximum participation with these main objectives: reaffirming the goal of limiting global average temperature increase to below 2 degrees Celsius, inclusion of a core legal agreement with binding commitments, and the establishment of a system for transparency and accountability.

Shuiyan Tang, a professor at the China Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, said China will look at any agreement on the basis of its commitment to sustain a lower economic growth rate while trying to upgrade the country's economic structure.

"Some climate-change mitigation measures such as renewable energy use and the closing down of high-energy use industries are compatible with this long-term strategy," Tang said.

Gao Feng, China's special representative for climate change negotiations from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said at a conference in April that the Paris agreement must include provisions on implementation, balance and inclusiveness.

"In 2020, we are going to implement the Paris agreement, which is just one step," Gao said. "We need balance so we can get every country on board. Paris must be different from the Kyoto protocol and address all concerns."

paulwelitzkin@chinadailyusa.com