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Updated Dec 16, 2014

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Agreement reached after Lima climate change talks

For the first time a draft has been made to commit all countries to cutting emissions.

The plan agreed on Sunday at the United Nations talks has been welcomed as an important step towards signing a climate change deal next year in Paris.

Countries are being called on to reveal how they they will cut carbon pollution, if possible, by March next year.

The Peruvian environment minister managed the talks and commented "as a text it’s not perfect, but it includes the positions of the parties".

This comes after some differing opinions on what should be enforceable as part of the agreement along with many other debated topics.

Negotiators have acknowledged that some of the more difficult decisions have been left for another time. This has been criticised and some have said the "countdown clock to Paris" is now ticking.

It has also been argued that the agreements being discussed are too weak, and are unlikely to stop climate change quickly enough with 2014 set to be the hottest year on record.

Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists described the plans as "watered down", an opinion that has been expressed by several others.

The five page text includes agreements:

  • to help developing countries fight climate change;
  • to help small islands with financial aid, if they risked being swallowed up by rising sea levels;
  • that wealthy countries would bear the bulk of action to stop climate change;
  • that wealthy countries would help to create clean energy in developing countries.

This text, however, does not make it mandatory for countries to provide detailed information about their reductions targets making it very difficult to achieve the necessary goals.

Although this agreement is a positive step, it is worrying that some countries still seem to be unwilling to commit fully.


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