100 days to Paris: Securing a Global Deal and Transitioning to a Low Carbon Future
This weekend marks 100 days to go until December's UN climate change Summit (known as ‘COP 21') in Paris. There are of course plenty of international meetings, but few, if any, are as important as this one. This is where the world decides whether or not to commit itself to a low carbon future in a legally binding way.
So, 2015 really is the decisive year for climate negotiations. To keep the global temperature rise below the 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius limit it is essential to secure a fair, ambitious international treaty in Paris.
Other multilateral meetings throughout the year have played into what will be discussed in Paris: the Financing for Development conference which took place in Ethiopia last month; the UN Special Summit on Sustainable Development Goals (which will replace the current Millennium Development Goals) takes place next month; and the World Trade Organisation Ministerial also meets in December to see if the international community can unblock various obstacles to even freer global trade. All these events can help define the global direction of travel in the key areas of economic development, environmental protection, combating climate change and liberalising trade for the next two decades and more. The UK, with EU member states and Ghana all have an important role to play in reaching successful conclusions to these negotiations.
Photo Credit: United Nations Photo