By Kofi Adu Domfeh
All of the world’s largest economies, and the largest greenhouse gas emitters, have indicated that they will sign the historic climate change agreement in New York on Friday.
More than 165 countries have indicated that they will participate in the signature ceremony being convened by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is rallying the UN to “walk the talk” when it comes to climate change action.
The signing is the first step toward ensuring that the agreement enters into force as soon as possible. After signing, countries must take the further national step of accepting or ratifying the agreement.
The agreement can enter into force 30 days after at least 55 Parties to the UNFCCC, accounting for at least 55 per cent of global emissions, ratify the agreement.
There are 13 countries, mostly Small Island Developing States, that are expected to deposit their instruments of ratification immediately after signing the agreement on Friday.
Already, country delegations heading to New York for signing of the Paris Climate Change Agreement will be traveling climate neutral.
The travel emissions will be tallied and an equivalent volume of Certified Emission Reduction (CERs) credits will be cancelled.
The CERs will be sourced from the Adaptation Fund, set up to fund projects that help developing countries cope with the inevitable effects of climate change. So, in addition to compensating for the delegates’ travel, purchase and cancellation of the credits will help fund projects on the ground.
“Reaching climate neutrality by mid-century will require a serious and significant effort to de-carbonize the global economy, based on a systemic shift to ever cleaner energy, rising levels of energy efficiency and far more sustainable management of all forms of natural resources,” said Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). “Everyone can help speed up and scale up this shift by offsetting the emissions they are at present unable to reduce.”
CERs, each equivalent to one tonne carbon dioxide, are awarded to emission reduction projects registered under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) – everything from clean cookstove projects, to wind energy, to tree planting.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Climate Change Declaration has also been presented to the President of the UN General Assembly, Mogens Lykketoff.
The Declaration calls for all nations with the greatest responsibility and capacity to lead the way in tackling climate change to phase-out the use of fossil fuels and shifting to 100% renewable sources of energy.
“Islam teaches us that ‘man is simply a steward holding whatever is on earth in trust’,” says Nana Firman, Co-Chair of the Global Muslim Climate Network. “The Declaration calls upon all nations and their leaders to drastically reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and support vulnerable communities, both in addressing the impacts of climate change and in harnessing renewable energy.”
The occasion also marked the official launch of the Global Muslim Climate Network as support for climate action within the world’s second largest faith group continues to grow.
Leaders of the Climate Vulnerable Forum have also urged a ministerial gathering of the “High Ambition Coalition” in New York to take the concrete steps needed to accelerate global climate action.
Speaking at the gathering, Secretary Emmanuel M. De Guzman of the Climate Change Commission of the Philippines said: “Ambition must translate into concrete steps to meet the 1.5 degree objective, which means all countries must resubmit far more ambitious contributions under the Paris Agreement by 2020, at the latest. Swifter progress to reach the $100 billion mark while respecting additionality with ODA commitments is equally urgent for enabling ambition globally.”
The High Ambition Coalition emerged at the UN Climate Change Conference at Paris (UNFCCC COP21) as an alliance of developing and developed countries that together demanded strong outcomes at COP21, including inclusion of the ambitious 1.5 degree Celsius limit in the Paris Agreement.
