Paris Summit Day 1: Modi Promises 35 Percent Emission Cut
Live updates from the UN Climate Change Council, 2015.
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‘Modi Promises 35% Emission Cut’
Modi on Day 1 addressed the Paris climate change conference, said to be the decade’s biggest climate change summit, by promising that India will reduce emission of CO2 by up to 35% by 2030, in accordance of 2005 norms. And that the country will enlarge its forest cover to cut 2.5 billion tonnes emission of CO2.
The Prime Minister also said that the West must show sincereness of efforts in tackling global warming.
‘West Needs To Mobilise $100 bn for Carbon Fund’
The Prime Minister also said that the West needs to mobilise $100 bn to mitigate carbon laws.
India Will Be Working to Bring 100 Nations Part of Global Solar Alliance
Prime Minister Modi also promised that India will contribute land and $ 30 million to build Secretariat infrastructure of the alliance.
Meanwhile, French President Hollande says,
Speaking at the launch, Modi says, “The international solar alliance is my long-standing dream. I want to bring solar energy into our lives & homes”.
Earlier today, here’s what he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande launch an international solar alliance.
He says, “The sun is the source of all energy. The world must turn to solar, the power of our future”
9:25 pm IST: Prime Minister Modi addresses the summit in Paris, says the debate should be about rising global temperature.
“Developed nations must leave room for developing nations,” he adds.
8:45 pm IST: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses the press with US President Barack Obama.
Modi says economic development and environmental protection “go hand in hand” and that India will fulfill all its responsibilities with regard to climate change.
US President Obama says, “India must curb its carbon dioxide pollution even while it works to eradicate poverty, prioritise growth and promote economic development”.
In the first half of Day 1 of the Paris climate change conference, several heads of states including Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about their vision for green energy.
They are expected to return from lunch and resume speeches any moment now.
7:05 pm IST: Delegates take a lunch break at the Paris Climate Conference. The speeches will commence in 45 minutes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin calls for a new climate agreement, one that will reflect the importance of forests.
Putin says Russia is ready to cut its greenhouse gas emissions by almost one-third over the next 15 years compared with 1990 levels, although the fall in Russia’s economy since 1990 means that it could still increase its current emissions.
He said that by 2030 Russia is ready to bring its greenhouse gas emissions to 70 per cent of their levels in 1990.
Since Russia’s economy has shrunk sharply since 1990, it will still have plenty of room for increasing its current emissions while keeping them low in comparison.
Putin also said that a future global climate deal must include commitments from both developing and developed countries.
After the Chinese President, German Chancellor Angela Merkel takes the stage. Merkel emphasizes on Germany’s efforts to decarbonise. “Billions of people have pinned their hopes on what we do in Paris”.
Need Transfer of Climate Technology to Developing Countries: Xi Jinping
IST 6:05 pm: Chinese President Xi Jinping says an eventual global climate deal must include aid for poor countries and acknowledge differences between developing and established economies.
Xi, speaking at UN-led climate talks near Paris on Monday, said an agreement should also include transfer of climate technology to developing countries.
He said a deal should accommodate national interests, adding, “it’s imperative to respect differences” among countries, especially developing ones.
The question of what to expect from rich and poor countries is a key sticking-point in the talks. The last climate deal, the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, only required developed countries to cut man-made emissions.
Western countries say this time all countries must chip in, including China, the world’s biggest emitter.
“Recycling and conservation comes naturally to India,” says Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He adds that India wants a “comprehensive, equitable and durable agreement in Paris.”
India Must Lead in Combating Climate Change: PM Modi
We Stand in Solidarity With Paris and France: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while inaugurating the India pavilion at COP21, says that India stands in solidarity with Paris and France.
“Consider the Needs of the Youngest Generation”
IST 5:40 pm: Britain’s Prince Charles has issued a rallying cry to world leaders to address climate change, describing it as the greatest threat faced by humanity.
Delivering the keynote to the UN climate conference, Charles urged world leaders Monday to think of their grandchildren in seeking a deal.
Echoing the sentiment offered by Winston Churchill to Battle of Britain pilots during World War II the heir to Britain’s throne and champion of green causes argued that “rarely in human history have so many people around the world placed their trust in so few.”
COP21 is an “Act of Defiance”: Obama
IST 5:30 pm: President Barack Obama is calling the Paris climate talks an “act of defiance” by the world community following the Islamic State-linked attacks two weeks ago.
Obama says world leaders gathered near Paris for global climate talks have come to the French capital to show resolve. He’s saluting Parisians for insisting the conference go on despite the attacks.
Obama says it proves that nothing will deter the world from building a future for its children. He says there’s no greater rejection to those who want to tear down the world than to mount best efforts to save it.
Obama was also painting a dire picture of the future without aggressive action to curb carbon emissions. He was describing submerged countries, abandoned cities and fields that won’t grow. He was also drawing a link to the refugee crisis and saying climate effects will lead desperate peoples to seek sanctuaries outside their home nations.
“Advertising is Engine of Consumerism”
IST 5:10 pm: A UK-based network of artists has installed more than 600 artworks in advertising places across Paris as part of a protest campaign against the climate change talks.
Peter Marcuse, a member of the Brandalism network, told The Associated Press that it wants to “make the link between advertising and climate change.”
Without seeking permission, the eco-activists placed their artworks in advertising spaces owned by JC Decaux, “one of the world’s largest outdoor advertising firms and an official sponsor to the COP21 climate talks.”
Marcuse said other big corporate sponsors of the negotiations including “Engie, Renault-Nissan, and some banks like BNP Paribas have caused big pollution problems and can’t present themselves as being part of the solution.”
Brandalism said that the artworks, some of them mocking the conference’s sponsors, were created by more than 80 artists from 19 countries.
USA, Canada, 9 European Countries Pledge Nearly $250 Million to Vulnerable Countries
IST 4:45 pm: The United States, Canada and nine European countries have pledged nearly $250 million to help the most vulnerable countries adapt to rising seas, droughts and other impacts of climate change.
The pledge was announced at the start of UN climate talks outside Paris on Monday and includes contributions of $53 million from Germany, $51 million from the U.S., and $45 million from Britain.
The money will be made available to a fund for the least developed countries hosted by the Global Environment Facility, a major funder of environment projects worldwide. Other countries that contributed include Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland.
Money for adaptation is a key demand by developing countries in the UN climate talks.
The money would be used for things like helping vulnerable nations develop new agricultural practices for a hotter climate and boosting their preparedness to cope with extreme weather events linked to climate change.
More World Leaders at COP21 Than Ever Before
IST 4:40 pm: More world leaders are in the same place at the same time than ever before at a critical global climate conference in Paris.
The French organizers say 151 heads of state and other leaders are at the talks that started Monday.
UN climate agency spokesman Nicholas Nuttall said it is the largest such gathering of world leaders on the same day. The annual UN General Assembly in New York also gathers world leaders, but the event is spread out over several days and not all leaders attend at the same time.
“Consequences of Climate Change Already Felt by World’s Poorest”
IST 4:20 pm: The international Red Cross is calling for delegates at the Paris conference to make a priority of helping poor and vulnerable people to deal with the impact of climate change.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies called Monday on negotiators to ensure that money is provided for communities that will face, or already face, fallout from rising temperatures.
He added: “It is crucial that any new global agreement emphasizes the need to support these communities to become more resilient and reduce the climate risks they face.”
IST 4:15 pm: The French football federation says it wants to reduce the impact the sport can have on climate change.
In a partnership with the French agency in charge of environmental and energy-related issues, the soccer federation has issued guidelines for its members aimed at reducing pollution and carbon emissions.
The federation has published an electronic guide available to its 18,000 clubs stressing for instance the need to resort to carpools at weekend matches across France or to save energy by using a reasonable amount of light on football pitches.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a separate meeting with his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Paris Climate Change Conference.
This is the first time these heads of state met after their July meeting in Russia this year.
PM Narendra Modi wrote an article in the Financial Times about the need for the developed world to take greater responsibility in the fight against climate change.
‘Terror Attacks Linked to Climate Change’
IST 4:05 pm: French President Francois Hollande urged a strong, binding global agreement to fight climate change.
Hollande told other world leaders gathered near Paris on Monday that a solid global warming deal would help ensure world peace for future generations and reduce the number of refugees fleeing increasingly extreme weather. He linked the fight against global warming to the fight against extremism, weeks after the deadly attacks in Paris.
He called for a “deep change” in human attitudes toward resources and the planet.
Smog Chokes Beijing
IST 4:00 pm: One of the worst spells of air pollution in recent years hit Beijing as negotiators meet in Paris to combat global warming.
The city reported extremely hazardous levels of the tiny, poisonous matter PM2.5 on Monday afternoon – 25 times more than what the World Health Organization considers safe.
The warnings came as the UN climate conference opened in Paris, aiming to create a landmark agreement to fight global warming.
World Leaders Hold Moment of Silence for Attack Victims
IST 3:50 pm: World leaders gathered for a critical climate change conference are holding a moment of silence in honour of people killed in recent attacks in Paris, Beirut, Baghdad, Tunisia and Mali.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon declared the moment of silence as he launched two weeks of talks in Paris Monday aimed at a long-term deal to slow man-made global warming. Organizers sought a high-level kickoff to the talks in hopes of providing impetus for a strong agreement.
Translation: Let us put our ambition as high as possible. While aiming high they will decide for a long time on life on our planet.
‘Air Pollution Single Biggest Risk’
IST 3:15 pm: The European Union’s environment agency says air pollution remains the single largest environmental health risk in Europe, causing more than 430,000 premature deaths in 2012.
The agency says the data, based on monitoring points across Europe, shows that people living in cities are still exposed to air pollution of “levels deemed unsafe by the World Health Organization” and resulting in serious illnesses, including heart disease, respiratory problems and cancer.
Hans Bruyninckx, head of the Copenhagen-based European Environment Agency said that air pollution also has “considerable economic impacts” by increasing medical costs and reducing productivity through lost working days.
The annual air quality report was released Monday as the UN climate conference opened in Paris, which aims to create a landmark agreement to fight global warming.
IST 2:40 pm: High-level climate talks have begun in Paris with the goal of a long-term deal to reduce man-made emissions.
Peruvian Environment Minister Manuel Pulgar Vidal, who played host to the last UN climate conference in Lima, declared this year’s meeting open Monday morning.
A total of 151 world leaders have converged on Paris to launch the two-week talks in hopes of giving an impetus for an ambitious agreement.
Vidal said a deal would show the world that countries can work together to fight global warming as well as terrorism. The talks are occurring just two weeks after deadly attacks in Paris by Islamic State extremists.
Co-ordination Critical for Climate Change Battle: Obama
IST 2:35 pm: President Barack Obama says nowhere has coordination between the United States and China been more fruitful or critical than on climate change.
Xi says climate change is a huge challenge. He’s calling for the US and China to build a new model of cooperation, using diplomatic language long preferred by Beijing.China emits about 30 per cent of the world’s greenhouse gases and the U.S. about 16 percent
317 French Green Activists Arrested
IST 1:50 pm: Paris police say 317 people were detained after an unauthorised protest seeking to call attention to climate change, which ended with police firing tear gas at protesters throwing bottles and candles.
The Paris police department had said Sunday night that 174 were detained in the protest, then said on Monday morning that the figure had grown to 317. It did not give a reason for the growing number.
Hollande, Ban Ki-Moon Greet Heads of State
IST 12:50 pm: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and French President Francois Hollande greet heads of state and government from around the world for high-stakes talks aimed at fighting global warming.
One by one, some 150 leaders are arriving at the conference center near the Le Bourget airfield just north of Paris. Ban, Hollande, the head of the UN climate change agency Christina Figueres, and French Environment Minister Segolene Royal are standing in front of the conference center to greet them.
Afterwards, each leader will give a speech laying out their countries’ efforts to reduce man-made emissions and cope with climate change.The event opening on Monday lasts through December 11 and is under extra-security after November 13 extremist attacks in Paris.
(With inputs from AP.)
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