Follow Along: A Global Agreement to Act on Climate

Mr. Javadekar said that India expects an “equitable and just” climate agreement in Paris and does not want the Paris summit to repeat the outcome of previous summits.

The United Nations chief recalled that Pope Francis and other faith leaders have reminded the global community that “we have a moral responsibility to act in solidarity with the poor and most vulnerable who have done least to cause climate change and will suffer first and worst from its effects”.

“2015 is likely to be the hottest year on record, with ocean surface temperatures at the highest level since measurements began”, said Michel Jarraud, head of the World Meteorological Organization.

The European Union also remains committed to delivering its share towards achieving developed countries’ joint goal of mobilizing 100 billion USA dollars per year by 2020 for climate action in developing countries, said the Commission, calling itself “the major contributor to this funding”.

Xi will also attend the Paris climate summit, and Chinese officials suggested that Beijing would not put forward new concessions for a deal.

More than 120 leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, will participate in the 21st Meeting of the States Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

In a media briefing on Wednesday (November 25), Climate Change Commissioner Emmanuel de Guzman said that the global warming target is insufficient and should be even less than 1.5 degrees Celsius.

A fact sheet from the White House outlining the details of the conference, as well as the strategic importance for securing an agreement among some of the world’s most polluting countries, can be found here.

Led by two American based groups, the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow and the Heartland Institute, Dr. Singer is one of several world renowned “climate realists” who will be part of a contingent at the United Nations summit in Paris. “There is no need for any such apprehension, but we have clearly flagged the issues of our concerns”, he added, while criticising Kerry’s observations.

Earlier, in an interview with the Financial Times, Kerry had said “We’ve got a lot of focus on India right now to try to bring them along…India has been more cautious, a little more restrained in its embrace of this new paradigm, and it’s a challenge”.

The world’s most industrialized countries will counter that countries like China, India, and Brazil now account for most of the world’s annual emissions of greenhouses gases. However, this agreement could help ensure that American action is met with global action to reduce the impact of climate change and preserve a planet that is worthy of our children. “Hence, the carbon space needs to be vacated for developing nations”, the sources said.