Climate change talks stall amid opposition
MADRID — After two weeks of contentious negotiations, world leaders put in charge of averting a cluster of accelerating climate threats remained at loggerheads on Saturday about whether they could commit, just on paper, to raise voluntary climate targets next year.
The annual talks, which had been scheduled to end on Friday, were meant to hammer out the final details of the landmark 2015 Paris climate accord, and expectations initially ran high that they would yield a collective political call for raising climate targets.
That is vital for the future of millions. With greenhouse gas emissions on their current trajectory, average global temperatures are on pace to increase to levels where heat waves are very likely to intensify, storms are set to become more severe, and coastal cities are at risk of drowning, according to scientific consensus.
The delegates from nearly 200 countries who gathered in the Spanish capital were similarly stuck on two other issues that have vexed the Paris Agreement since its inception: working out rules for an international carbon trading system and providing money for the poor countries that suffer most from climate catastrophes.
The draft texts that emerged early Saturday immediately set off furious criticism from inside and outside the plenary room. By midday, delegates were waiting for new drafts and there was no telling when the sessions would wrap up, with or without an agreement.
“Adopting this would be a betrayal of all the people around the world suffering from climate impacts and those who are calling for action,” said Jennifer Morgan, the executive director of Greenpeace International.
Diplomats and advocates at the deliberations repeatedly cited opposition from large economies that are run by leaders suspicious of international cooperation — including Australia, Brazil and the United States, the only country in the world that is pulling out of the Paris accord.
The U.S. delegation was among those that objected to the notion that the conference document should signal the need to enhance climate targets next year, saying it did not support “expansive additional language on gaps and needs.”
The lackluster diplomatic results stood in sharp contrast to the climate risks roiling the world beyond the conference center, with Arctic temperatures at near record highs this year, smoke from wildfires choking Sydney, Australia, and millions of young people pouring out into the streets for much of this year.
Growing concern about climate change has been reflected in mass protests staged around the world, often by young activists concerned about the future they and their children might face as the planet heats up.
Demonstrations took place inside and outside the venue of the talks in the Spanish capital, with Swedish teenage activist Greta Thunberg one of the most prominent voices calling for urgent action to curb emissions.