Aquino calls for legally binding deal to limit global warming

PARIS, HERE WE COME President Aquino arrives at Le Bourget airport on Sunday night to participate in the world climate change summit in Paris that begins on Monday. He is met at the airport by Philippine Ambassador to France Maria Theresa Lazaro. MALACAÑANG PHOTO BUREAU

PARIS—“Our collective security depends on our ability to act.”

With these words, President Aquino on Monday pushed for a legally binding agreement and appealed for the Philippines and other vulnerable countries for further financial assistance to help them cope with the impact of climate change at the start of the United Nations climate conference in Paris.

World leaders on Monday launched whirlwind talks in the French capital aimed at forging an elusive agreement to avert catastrophic climate change.

The summit kicked off nearly a fortnight of talks intended to end two decades of international bickering with a pact that would limit emissions of the greenhouse gases blamed for climate change.

About 150 world leaders, including from the United States, China, India and Russia, converged in a northern Paris venue bristling with security following Nov. 13’s terror attacks in the French capital that left 129 people dead and 352 others wounded.

Taking his turn to deliver a three-minute speech at the leaders’ event of the conference, President Aquino said vulnerable countries like the Philippines needed financial assistance from developed countries to carry out mitigation efforts and disaster risk reduction management programs.

“As President of a nation increasingly affected by the new normal, I believe the real challenge begins with an accounting of capacities: How do we ask everyone to contribute, and how do we ask those with more to help out those with less?” Mr. Aquino said.

He said, following the leaders’ event, that the Philippines and the rest of the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) would soon “grow to represent at least 1 billion people makes our case.”

“In the name of all our citizens, we ask you to give our proposal for more climate financing for developing countries the consideration it deserves. We likewise seek your support as the CVF finalizes the Manila-Paris Declaration, which presents our aspirations for a world that is resilient and just, one where no one is left behind,” he said.

Mr. Aquino spoke about how the Philippines was rebuilding after the devastation wrought by Supertyphoon “Yolanda” (international name: Haiyan) in November 2013 despite challenges like relocating the survivors to less vulnerable areas.

But he cited difficulties that governments face when they have to deal with the unpredictable, and increasingly ferocious natural calamities.

“I must admit: We cannot do this in isolation,” Mr. Aquino said.

He said the Philippine government had allocated 5 percent of its total budget for climate change. The Philippines, he said, has committed to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions “conditionally” by 70 percent by 2030.

“We are ready to do our part, if other nations demonstrate support in terms of finance, technology development, and capacity building,” Mr. Aquino said.

Catastrophic events

Scientists warn that, unless action is taken soon, mankind will endure ever-worsening catastrophic events, such as droughts that will lead to conflict and rising sea levels that will wipe out low-lying island nations.

Negotiators have also vowed to forge an ambitious deal to honor the people killed in the Nov. 13 attacks that were claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

“The fate of humanity is at stake in this conference. After the attacks in France, we have to deal with the urgent priorities and respond to the terrorist challenge but also act for the long term,” French President François Hollande said.

In an interview with French daily newspaper 20 minutes, Hollande said leaders would meet in Paris “to reaffirm their solidarity with France” and to “assume their responsibilities in the face of the warming of the planet.”

“History will judge the heads of state and government harshly if, in December 2015, they miss this opportunity,” he said.

Hollande arrived at the venue early Monday to welcome the leaders, first meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Then Ban and Hollande greeted heads of state and government from around the world as they arrived for the talks, shaking hands outside the conference center near Le Bourget airfield just north of Paris.

Each leader were to give a three-minute speech about what their countries were doing to reduce emissions and slow climate change.

After the leaders leave, negotiators have two more weeks to work on a deal before the talks are scheduled to wrap up on Dec. 11.

The Paris attacks appeared to have galvanized many world leaders in their determination to stand up to terrorism and push on with the climate struggle.

US President Barack Obama’s first act after touching down in Paris early on Monday was to visit the scene of the worst carnage at the Bataclan concert hall.

The summit is “an opportunity to stand in solidarity with our oldest ally… and reaffirm our commitment to protect our people and our way of life from terrorist threats,” Obama said in a Facebook post before flying to Paris.

Stumbling blocks    

The United Nations has hosted annual summits to tackle the vexed global warming issue since 1995, but all previous efforts have foundered, primarily due to deep divisions between rich and poor nations.

Many poor nations insist rich countries bear the most responsibility for tackling the problem because they have burned the most fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution on their way to prosperity.

But the United States and other developed nations insist more must be done by China, India and other emerging countries, which are burning increasing amounts of coal to power their fast-growing economies.

Potential stumbling blocks in Paris range from providing finance for climate vulnerable and poor countries, to scrutiny of commitments to curb greenhouse gases and even the legal status of the accord.

Still, important progress has been made ahead of the meeting. One of the key successes has been a process in which 183 nations have submitted voluntary action plans on how they would tackle global warming.

Obama, Bill Gates and other world leaders were announcing a plan on Monday for governments and business leaders to invest billions of dollars to research and develop clean energy technology.

A key goal is to bring down the cost of cleaner energy. At least 19 governments and 28 leading world investors, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, billionaires George Soros and Saudi Prince Alawaleed bin Talal, and Jack Ma of China’s Alibaba, have signed on so far.

“It’s quite a big deal,” said Jennifer Morgan, global climate director for the World Resources Institute. “It brings a new kind of burst of energy into the conference right at the beginning on something very important.”

The new initiative is twofold: A public-private project called Mission Innovation, led by governments, and the Gates-led investor group called the Breakthrough Energy Initiative.

Under the initiative, the governments of the United States, India, China, Indonesia, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Britain, France, South Korea, Denmark, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Chile and Germany pledge to double their spending on low or no-carbon energy over the next five years. With reports from AFP and AP