The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations in Limahave come to an end. Due to last minute haggling, the climate conference ran until Sunday morning, well after the official deadline on Friday. In the end, 190 countries agreed on the next steps needed for tackling climate change – what needs to be done now, and what information should be included in pledges by countries for COP 21 in Paris in December 2015, when countries are expected to submit commitments to reduce carbon emissions, and much more.
“Governments leave Lima on a fresh wave of positivity towards Paris with a range of key decisions agreed and action-agendas launched, including on how to better scale up and finance adaptation, alongside actions on forests and education,” said Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework on Climate Change. View more about the final outcomes on the UNFCCC website.
The Conference of Parties got off to a good start, thanks to the building momentum around the world calling for action on climate change. Before the Climate Summit in New York in September, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in 166 countries, calling for immediate action. At the UN Climate Summit businesses joined national and regional governments supporting a price on carbon.
In addition, the European Union reached agreements and, on November 12, the United States and China announced an ambitious cooperation plan for Paris 2015 and actions on climate change after 2020. This year has also played an essential role in preparing the “field” for solution-oriented agreements that will help fulfill the climate agenda in 2015 leading up to COP 21 in Paris in December.
In Lima, Connect4Climate supported several high-level sessions at COP 20, in particular the Global Landscapes Forum, organized by CIFOR, the Sustainable Innovation Forum, and events hosted by Connect4Climate partners such as TerrAfrica’s panel discussions, UNFCCC youth sessions and the Italian Ministry of the Environment’s high-profile events.
