"One big step that leads ahead"

One final piece to close the year with....Sincerely Yours Earthly

The first week of the United Nation Framework Convention on Climate change (COP21) was really an inspiring one with so many promising remarks from the most concerned world leaders and many of which have found noble places among famous climate change quotes. The zeal to seal a formidable deal this time around after 21 years ruled the air and like never before, everyone was geared and ready for the next step to saving humanity from a catastrophic future. 

Witnessing the coming forward of the two giant nations (The U.S and China) responsible for the most greenhouse gas emission, it wasn’t just far off to conclude that there was a certainty of getting a deal in Paris.  Also, the obvious ambiance of urgency made the fact that the world was certainly at very a desperate moment in her survival history more profound.

Le bouget, France was the gathering point and just like it has always been in the last 21 years, the whole world came together again to seek the way forward from where they left off at the previous convergence in Lima. The negotiating tables were all piled up as usual with the obvious divisions of role blocks which distinguishes ” the straight to business for equitable outcome types( Usually the most vulnerable countries)” and “the cunning players who would always make unsettle the scale ( The developed countries)” . The developing world came with their usual demands of finance for adaptation, holding the developed countries liable to paying more being the greater culprit of greenhouse gas emission while loss and damage still made it to the tables as well.

Photo credit : UKYCC

Civil society coalitions came in their usual style of die hard and solidarity actions of inducing a degree of pressure on the negotiators into committing ambitiously for a successful COP. Those who could not be part of the gathering were not left out in their various corners on the globe and all were waiting and observing every bit of details from the conference halls, thanks to the many online reports, tweets and info-graphic content that carried everybody along.  

It was a real tussle at the negotiating tables as sides of the developed, developing countries and the emerging economies fought hard to stay in line and protect their relative but divided interest.  The global south where the most vulnerable countries fall into appeared desperate with a singular aim of reaching a compromise which would hold liable the developed world into owning up and taking up the greater part of the responsibilities needed to salvage the planet from the impacts of climate change.
 

Photo Credit : www.cop21.gouv.fr

However, the INDC texts submitted earlier did help to set the expected momentum of pushing ahead thereby saving some time off the groundwork building process.  The second week opened with the exit of the heads of governments and the entry of the politicians who would handle the deliberations and show the direction of the talks. At this point people started getting skeptical on the possibility of a tangible outcome all for the reason of the usual self interest that had often overruled the climate talks.  However, it almost took the same turn as the tension grew from every coalition of civil society to youth groups present at the COP.  One unusual report was that of the African delegations intimidated into keeping mute by the reasons of aid cuts if they really wanted a balanced deal. Such were the ambiance at the second week as everyone stood by to see the end result while monitoring the trend of the talks and projecting different possible outcomes.
 

Photo Credit: www.cop21.gouv.fr

However, the much awaited outcome was released on the 12^th of December and it broke the record that had not been broken in the last 21 years, 195 nations of the world have agreed on the terms of the new climate deal which although still avoided the part of  immediate interventions especially to those already suffering under the impact of climate change but made up on the clear path to a progressive and ambitious goals and targets which  now bind the world together in the clarity of “ Climate change is here for real and it is our common responsibility to fight for our future”

The parties agreed to work to keep the temperature at 2C above preindustrial era while putting every effort to limiting the temperature increase 1.5C. Also, with the aim of ensuring the flow of finance to lowering greenhouse gas emissions and support the development of climate resilient projects. There is also the part of equity and differentiated responsibilities which goes in line with respective capacities.

Photo Credit : Peggy Ward

The deal is quite a progressive one with the first collective stockade in 2018 and the global collective stockade under the agreement in 2023 and with the aim of improving on the nationally determined contributions. That means that there will be a continuous appraisal to allow for timely improvement and advancement as the regards the mechanism agreed upon.

 With regards to transparency, the communication requirements for developed countries are biennial, whereas for developing nations it is voluntary, which gives the latter more flexibility. There is also the part of peaking emission and ensuring a balance between emission and the removal by sinks by the second half of the century and that would facilitate the transition to 100% renewable energy and signal the end of the fossil age.

However, a rather disappointing one for the developing world as the issue of Loss and damage was categorized as a stand-alone element in the agreement but without liability and compensation. Instead, support will be directed towards “minimizing “and “averting” loss and damage such as early warning systems and emergency preparedness.

The ambitious agreement made a global headline and for the first in a long time, it looks like we have all come to an agreement of working for the common good of the planet and for our collective future. The climate deal is done and this has open a window of opportunity of living up to expectations and acting out all that has been put in place as mechanisms that will compensate the cost of arriving at the new climate deal.

To everyone that never gave up on sounding the alarm of action, I’d say well done, because the trickle of every effort has led to this and yet there is still a lot to do in the coming years as the fight is not over until all is achieved. The future is no longer tomorrow, it begins now!

Photo Credit : www.cop21.gouv.fr