Climate catastrophe looming large: Ban tells negotiators

The final leg of the high-stakes climate talks today witnessed some tough-talking by UN chief Ban Ki-moon who told environment ministers from across the world including India that "half-measures" to forge a concrete deal will not work to combat a looming "climate catastrophe".
"The clock is ticking towards a climate catastrophe," UN Secretary-General Ban told policymakers from 195 countries who converged here for crucial talks during the climate summit amid hopes to hammer out a concrete pact to curb greenhouse gas emissions as a "pro-active" India eyes a stronger say in the parleys.
"The world is expecting more from you than half-measures and incremental approaches. It is calling for a transformative agreement. Paris must put the world on track for long-term peace, stability and prosperity," he said.

"The decisions you make here will reverberate down the ages."
Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar joined counterparts to deliberate on the 48-page draft delivered last week by lower-level negotiators that has all the key issues left unresolved.
The blueprint formed the basis of efforts to formulate a binding deal.

"Your work here this week can help eradicate poverty, spark a clean energy revolution and provide jobs, opportunities and hope for tomorrow," Ban said.
As the 12-day climate talks enter its crucial final week, negotiators appeared confident that some kind of deal will be reached before the next weekend and they will be able to avert a repeat of the 2009 Copenhagen summit - that failed miserably.

Analysts said any deal emerging from Paris is likely to fall short of what is needed to cap global warming at 2.0 degrees Celsius or below.
In 2009, rich countries had pledged to mobilise USD 100 billion a year in climate finance for developing nations from 2020. Developing countries including India have been demanding them for early disbursal of the funds and clean technology to mitigate the greenhouse gas pollution.
Noting that India will ensure that the seminal principle
of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) is respected, he said: "For India it is a question of present and future lives of our 1.27 billion people with aspirations to develop. We will not let this meeting fail to reach its objectives.

"India is here to ensure that seminal principle of CBDR is respected."
He had earlier said that "India is going more pro- actively, with more positivity" to participate in the talks.
Observers have maintained that "very little" actual progress has been made in terms of compromises and agreements on the contentious points and it is left to the Ministers now to negotiate all the issues which are on the table.
The contentious issues which has been raised by India also include the positioning of the agreement vis-a-vis the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (UNFCCC).
There have been attempts to change some of the elements which are not there under the UN convention.

Another issue which India has raised is the mechanism for global stock take and updating of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC) or climate action plans.
India is demanding a differentiation in the way review of climate actions of developed and developing countries will be carried out.
He had said that although nations are "midway" in their journey to reach a new climate agreement, substance-wise it is "sometimes at crossroads" while hinting at the various unresolved issues which remain in the draft negotiating text.
Noting that the UNFCCC is a "fundamental global climate constitution", India also made it clear that any attempt to rewrite or to overwrite will "not be acceptable".

The climate talks are focussed on reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, majorly by shifting from oil, coal and gas to cleaner sources of energy.
While earlier pacts required only wealthy nations to curb their emissions, the envisioned Paris agreement is supposed to be the first deal to ask all countries to do so.
In his address today, Ban also said that developed countries "must agree to lead, and developing countries need to assume increasing responsibility in line with their capabilities".