So COP21 has now ended! It was extended an extra day to finalise the agreement, but what has been the result?
You can find the report here for yourself (or, if you want the TL;DR version, it's here). For me, it's nothing spectacular.
I suppose I was expecting detailed targets and commitments from regions and countries. Compared to Copenhagen in 2009, this is a great result - there are some legally binding aspects, but in terms of carbon targets, there is nothing explicit. I'll explain.
The report asks that:
- Greenhouse gas emissions are peaked as quickly as possible, towards a world which balances human emissions with natural sinks -- An important aspect, as it incentives greater afforestation to provide a more sinks, ensuring the security of woodland and forest habitats. However, this requirement isn't until the second half of the 21st century, so maybe it will be too late by then?
- Review the progress of countries every 5 years -- now this is one of the legally binding requirements. I feel this can facilitate a good conversation and further progress in the future and drive further commitments.
- Limiting global temps to 2C, and strive towards 1.5C -- I really admire the ambition of the delegates. But I think the results from our mock COP21 (see Kaitlin's opinion of our mock COP21 here) show that we will strive to get to 2C. We managed 2.7C and the assessments of the INDCs predict countries will only just reach 2.7C.
- US$100 billion every year to finance climate initiatives in developing regions -- this item is a little more confusing. The report outlines the fund is for "mitigation actions" and "implementation". Funds will range from financial resources up front to results-based targets. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this aspect. The funds are only for developing countries, but some there are many issues with that. Do all countries have equal allocations of money? For those more affected by climate, will the funds be prioritised for them, or can it be used for aid? This will only come by 2020 though...
The legal aspects are the review (good!) and submission of targets (great!). The irony: the submitted targets will be voluntary (not legally binding).
Overall, I see this as a good stepping stone. Action needed to be taken and this is a good step forward.
What do you think of the results of COP21? Do you think the results are positive or negative?
