200 nations vow to back climate deal despite US

BONN: Climate change is a global challenge. The Paris Agreement has sped up the historic global momentum for dealing with climate change, and that momentum is not reversible.

XIE ZHENHUA,

China’s lead negotiator

Almost 200 nations kept a 2015 global agreement to tackle climatechangeontrackonSaturday after marathon talks overshadowed by US President DonaldTrump’sdecisionto withdraw.

Fijian Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama, presiding at the two-week talks in Bonn, said the outcome “underscores the importance of keeping the momentum and of holding the spirit and vision of our Paris Agreement.”

Delegates agreed to launch a processin2018tostartreviewing existing plans to limit greenhouse gas emissions as part of a long-term effort to ratchet up ambition. It would be called the Talanoa Dialogue, after a Fijian word for story-telling and sharing experiences.

And they made progress to draft a rule book for the agreement,whichseekstoendthefossil fuel era this century, at the meetinginBonnthatranbeyond a planned ending on Friday.

The rule book, covering aspectssuchashowtoreportand monitor each nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, is due to be ready by December next year.

Many delegates said the work needed to go faster. “Right now we’re moving at a brisk walk, so all countries will need to really pick upthe pacefrom here,” said Jose Sarney Filho, Brazil’s environment minister.

The Paris pact aims to limit a rise in average world temperaturesto“wellbelow”twodegrees Celsius above pre-industrial times, ideally 1.5 degrees to limit more droughts, floods, heatwaves and rising sea levels.

But existing policies are on tracktocauseariseofaboutthree degreesby2100.TheTalanoaDialogue would be a step towards tighter policies.