UN States Reach Agreement in Lima Climate Talks

Peruvian Minister of Environment Manuel Pulgar-Vidal (R) and Executive Secretary of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Christiana Figueres (L) applauding after the aprovation of the document dubbed `The Lima Call for Climate Action`, du

The 194 states that participated at the United Nations (UN) Lima Climate Change Conference, which began in Peru on December 1, finally reached an agreement on the necessary measures to tackle climate change early on Sunday.

The delegates have adopted a framework setting out the measures each country is to take, which is to be submitted to the climate change conference scheduled to take place in Paris next year.

Differences over the draft text caused the talks in Lima to be extended with two days beyond their initially scheduled final on December 12.

The talks were difficult because of the numerous disagreements between rich and poor countries on sharing the responsibility to cut carbon emissions.

The delegates were relieved to hear the announcement that an agreement has been reached early on Sunday morning, following a 48 hours of talks without a break.

The Environment Minister of Peru Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, who chaired the talks said that as a text the agreement was not perfect, but it included the positions of the participants.

The agreement was approved hours after an earlier draft had been rejected by developing countries, who blamed rich nations of not taking an equal portion of the commitments towards fighting global warming.

The final document provides that rich countries have to be at the forefront of cutting their carbon emissions and set example for poor nations.

It also restored an earlier promise for a loss and damage scheme that is to help poorer countries deal with the financial consequences of rising temperatures.

However the final document weakened the language of national commitments, saying that countries “may” instead of “shall” include information on their intentions to meet their emissions target.

The agreed framework calls for an ambitious agreement to be reached in 2015 in which each nation will undertake responsibilities in line with its capabilities.

The document also establishes that developed countries are to provide financial support to vulnerable developing nations as well as submission of national pledges by the first quarter of 2015 by countries that are prepared to do so.

The UN climate change body is to provide feedback on national pledges in November 2015.

The prospects for the talks looked bright, following the agreement on emissions targets that had been reached between the US and China in November, but these evaporated once the talks started.

Environmentalists have criticised the outcome of the talks as “weak and ineffectual compromise”, which weakens international climate rules, the BBC reports.

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