- Title: Almost 200 nations reaffirm Paris climate accord
- Date: 17th November 2016
- Summary: MARRAKESH, MOROCCO (NOVEMBER 17, 2016) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR PLENARY HALL PARTICIPANTS TAKING PHOTO HOLDING FLAG SCREEN READING (English): ''MARRAKECH 2016'' PARTICIPANTS DURING CONFERENCE CONFERENCE SPEAKERS ON STAGE (LEFT) U.N. CLIMATE CHIEF PATRICIA ESPINOSA AND (RIGHT) PRESIDENT OF COP22 AND MOROCCAN FOREIGN MINISTER SALAHEDDINE MEZOUAR MORE OF PARTICIPANTS (SPEECH) (French) PRESIDENT OF COP22 AND MOROCCAN FOREIGN MINISTER, SALAHEDDINE MEZOUAR, SAYING: "It is the proclamation of Marrakesh for our climate and sustainable development. This proclamation was supported by all the participants of the conference." VARIOUS OF CONFERENCE UNDERWAY (SPEECH) (English) HEAD NEGOTIATOR AT COP22 AND MOROCCAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES, AZIZ MEKOUAR, SAYING: "We call for all parties to strengthen and support efforts to eradicate poverty, ensure food security and to take stringent action to deal with climate change challenges in agriculture. We call for urgently raising ambition and strengthening cooperation amongst ourselves to close the gap between current emissions trajectories and the pathway needed to meet the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. We call for an increase in the volume, flow and access to finance for climate projects, alongside improved capacity and technology, including from developed to developing countries. We the developed countries reaffirm our 100 billion dollars mobilisation goal. We unanimously call for further climate action and support, well in advance of 2020, taking into account the specific needs and special circumstances of developing countries, the least developed countries and those particularly vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. We who are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol encourage the ratification of the Doha Amendment." PARTICIPANTS (SPEECH) (English) HEAD NEGOTIATOR AT COP22 AND MOROCCAN AMBASSADOR TO THE UNITED STATES, AZIZ MEKOUAR, SAYING: "The Marrakesh Conference marks an important inflection point in our commitment to bring together the whole international community to tackle one of the greatest challenges of our time. As we now turn towards implementation and action, we reiterate our resolve to inspire solidarity, hope and opportunity for current and future generations." VARIOUS OF SALAHEDDINE MEZOUAR AND PARTICIPANTS CLAPPING AND RAISING HANDS
- Embargoed: 2nd December 2016 22:39
- Keywords: Climate change declaration COP22 Marrakesh global warming
- Location: MARRAKESH, MOROCCO
- City: MARRAKESH, MOROCCO
- Country: Morocco
- Topics: Environment,Climate Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA00158U4R47
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:On the penultimate day of COP22, the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Marrakesh, the event President and Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar announced that a proclamation had been agreed by all participants.
On Thursday (November 17) the Head Negotiator and Moroccan Ambassador to the United States, Aziz Mekouar called on the almost 200 governments involved to ''strengthen and support efforts to eradicate poverty, ensure food security and to take stringent action to deal with climate change challenges in agriculture.''
World temperatures are set to hit the highest since records began in the 19th century this year, beating 2015, triggering a melting of ice sheets, damaging coral reefs and spurring heat waves.
In the COP22 document rich nations reaffirmed a goal of mobilising USD $100 billion in climate finance, from both public and private sources, by 2020 to help developing countries.
''We call for urgently raising ambition and strengthening cooperation amongst ourselves to close the gap between current emissions trajectories and the pathway needed to meet the long-term temperature goals of the Paris Agreement. We call for an increase in the volume, flow and access to finance for climate projects, alongside improved capacity and technology, including from developed to developing countries," Mekouar told conference attendees.
The Paris Agreement seeks to limit a rise in global average temperatures to "well below" 2.0 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial times, ideally 1.5C (2.7F) by slashing greenhouse gas emissions.
The election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency has cast a shadow over the Paris deal, which was agreed after more than two decades of deadlock about how to tackle global warming and entered into force in record time, on Nov. 4.
Trump has called man-made global warming a hoax and has said he will withdraw from the Paris Agreement, which seeks to wean the global economy off fossil fuels this century with a shift to renewable energies such as wind and solar power.
Thursday's proclamation, a political statement of intent with no legal force, affirmed plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions blamed for raising world temperatures and causing more downpours, heat waves, and rising sea levels. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
