Over 190 nations to meet in Paris on climate change

Two climate marches through the streets of Paris, scheduled to coincide with an worldwide climate conference in the city later this month, have been cancelled for security reasons following last week’s terror attacks.

“Now it’s even more important for people everywhere to march on the weekend of November 29th on behalf of those who can’t, and show that we are more determined than ever to meet the challenges facing humanity with hope, not fear”. In thousands of cities and towns across the planet, we’ll gather or march for our communities and those already at risk from climate change, for the future of our children and grandchildren, and for a safer world powered by clean energy.

“No matter the final plans for the march in Paris, we urge people to join other global climate marches around the world to show their solidarity and support -there couldn’t be a more important time to push for climate justice, and the peace it can help bring”. Many indoor events-including a concert featuring Thom Yorke, Patti Smith and Flea-are expected to go forward as planned.

Noting the partisan divide over climate that has surfaced on the 2016 presidential campaign trail, Gellers says it’s a false choice to ask presidential candidates to choose between issues like terrorism or climate change as their top concern. Alix Mazounie of Climate Action Network in France said, “We are horrified by the attacks”. In countries from Denmark, where I happen to be at the moment, examining that country’s progressive climate policies, to Peru, United Nations climate summits largely have failed to rally true, global support for a rapid transition away from the dirty fuels causing global warming. The expense is enormous, in both dollars and carbon, but being at the summit is a precious chance to speak about climate change in moral terms and to put a human face to this unfolding catastrophe. Those are the questions at the heart of the climate crisis, and the answers are the reason climate summits so often end in acrimony and tears.

Echoing comments of French officials in the days since terrorists killed 129 people on Friday in Paris, Figueres said there was still uncertainty about whether outside events being planned by non-governmental organizations will “continue exactly as planned” or perhaps in a different way with more security. The next day, following a police raid of an apartment building in a Paris suburb that left two people dead and eight arrested, the head of Paris police told environmental and activist leaders that all outside demonstrations would be canceled for the duration of the climate talks. This includes 314 North American birds categorized as climate-threatened by Audubon’s Birds and Climate Change Report.

Nicolas Haeringer, France campaigner for climate campaign group 350.org, said: “The tragedy in Paris has only strengthened our resolve”.

This year, 17 students, led by Professor Doreen Stabinsky, will be attending the Conference of the Youth (COY), starting on November 26, before joining the 21st COP, which runs from November 30 to December 11. At the same time, President Francois Hollande announced that France will increase its annual funding to fight climate change from a current €3 billion commitment to €5 billion by 2020. However, the United Nations says that the overall numbers can be reduced at a financially reasonable rate of around $50 to $100 per ton of C02.