Climate change conference in Katowice: agreement after tough negotiations

The UN climate conference in Poland has approved after tough negotiations, a comprehensive set of rules for the practical implementation of the Paris climate agreement. The core objective is to limit global warming to well below two degrees. Environmental organizations showed up in the night to Sunday dissatisfied and calling for more climate protection and solidarity with poor countries. UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, spoke after the summit in Katowice (Katowice) of a “solid” result. Need more ambition in climate protection, but still. Worldwide greenhouse gas emissions must be swiftly and clearly depressed that climate change is “faster than us”.

After the decision, the negotiator applauded, cheering but there was no. Environment Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD), said that in geopolitically difficult times of the peaks of almost 200 countries had shown that “it pays to work continuously for a global consensus”.

Already, the earth has about one degree in comparison to the pre-industrial time. To stop the Trend, reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases from the burning of coal and Oil, or of animal husbandry in the coming years drastically.

sanctions, there is not

representatives from 196 countries and the EU, had struggled in Poland for two weeks the rules according to which States in the future about their plans and progress in climate protection reports. Comparability and transparency are important, given that the Paris agreement is based on mutual trust and sanctions is not provided for, if countries are to move forward. Especially the peer pressure to keep everyone on course.

pushing The time: The years 2015 to 2018 weather organization according to analyses of the World, the four warmest since records began in the 19th century. Century. And the 20 warmest were in the past 22 years. It goes on as in the past, we live at the end of this century, probably in a three to four degree warmer world. The fatal consequences depending on the Region: more heat waves, longer droughts, and more storms, rain, strong and high water.

experts dissatisfied

Greenpeace-Boss Jennifer Morgan expressed disappointment: “A year of climate disasters and a haunting warning of the best scientists in the world should have lead to a lot more,” she said. “To acknowledge that greater ambition is necessary, and to adopt rules for the protection of the climate, is not nearly enough, if all the Nations threatened with the extinction.”

Michael Schäfer, head of climate and energy policy at WWF Germany, said, the compromise attack. “The governments of the world need a lot more pressure from their citizens to finally take climate protection Seriously.”