Initial COP 21 Progress Slow

The European Union’s top climate official, Miguel Arias Cañete, said that heading into the UN Climate Conference, negotiations and climate plan submissions are moving too slowly.  This December, COP 21, will take place in Paris. 

And while 56 countries representing 61% of global emissions have submitted plans (including China and US), major economies like Argentina, Brazil and India, still need to submit their greenhouse gas reduction goals before the conference kicks off. 

Further, of the currently submitted plans, the emissions goals are not yet strong enough to stop the global temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius, the agreed benchmark for preventing the most dire impacts of global warning. . 

Officials are rightfully concerned the talks might fail, much the way they did at a U.N. conference in Copenhagen in 2009.

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Strong Political Will

Although initial plans are so far slow to materialize and negotiations are equally stilted, EU’s Cañete said there is “strong political will” to get a deal done.

President Obama's recent Clean Power Plan, which will cut  U.S. carbon emissions by up to 28 percent from 2005 levels by 2025, shows a commitment to progress heading into COP21. Other major emitters, like China and the EU, have proposed emission targets as well, raising hopes that the U.N. might be able to broker a global accord to confront climate change.

The time is now to take meaningful and decisive international action on climate change - the whole world depends on it.

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