The climate change agreement world leaders are expected to sign in December \u201chas to take us to a less than 2 degree global warming path because that is the ultimate test of the whole package that will come out of Paris,\u201d according to Janos Pasztor, a senior United Nations official dealing with the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur expectation is that there will be a good agreement signed,\u201d Mr. Pasztor said in an interview with the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ News Service ahead of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s meeting today in Paris with French President Fran\u00e7ois Hollande to discuss the latest developments in the lead up to the Conference of States Parties to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Framework Convention on Climate Change, known as COP-21, as well as the next steps to be taken to ensure an ambitious outcome.<\/p>\n
The Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ official elaborated on the expected outcome in Paris by saying that \u201cthere has to be something that is there for the long term so that there is a clear signal that is provided to the market and to other actors that we are going in a certain direction of increasingly low carbon development.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also has to have dimension of solidarity \u2013 solidarity with those who are more vulnerable, and those who are less capable of taken action on their own without financial and technological support,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt also has to be credible \u2013 credible in terms of what we measure of what countries are doing but also credible in terms of what is being proposed such as financial support,\u201d Mr. Pasztor said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd finally, what is perhaps most important, it has to take us to a less than 2 degree global warming path because that is the ultimate test of the whole package that will come out of Paris,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In this regard, Secretary-General Ban and President Hollande in Paris noted the importance of, and different ways of engaging Heads of State and Governments on climate change, including on the margins of the 70th session of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ General Assembly in New York in September as well as at other meetings involving global leaders.<\/p>\n
They also agreed on the importance of generating signals about the climate finance package for COP-21 as early as possible, such as at the meeting of Finance Ministers in Lima in October. In addition, the two men agreed on the importance of operationalizing the Green Climate Fund, and of reaching out to all Member States to further accelerate momentum in the coming months.<\/p>\n
In his interview, the senior official said he had been up in the Arctic with the Secretary-General recently \u201cwhere already they are measuring 2 degree warming over the baseline which is twice the global average.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mr. Pasztor said \u201cyou see the impact\u201d everywhere, but he also drew attention to \u201ca lot of incredible solutions especially when it comes to renewable energy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you see what has happened in Denmark and Germany and China, in different parts of the world, it just really amazing,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On another positive note, Mr. Pasztor said that \u201ceverybody has a role to play\u201d to combat climate change.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody can do something,\u201d he said, adding \u201cIf everybody in the world does something we would have solved the climate change problem.\u201d<\/p>\n