In spite of the terrorist attack, the spirited city of Paris played host to 193 countries, for ‘Climate Summit’ from 30 November to 12 December 2015. “The Paris Agreement on climate change is a monumental success for the planet and its people,” said, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations.

The deal effectuates the 193 countries of the United Nations to limit global temperature rises by cutting emissions and sharing funds to famished countries to commute their economies.

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For 20 years, the countries of the world have struggled to come up with a unanimous solution to the threats posed by climatic changes. Some countries advanced this time with significantly different attitudes, especially China. All credits go to the US government, who has been trying for many years to improve relations with China, resulting into a bilateral agreement in November 2014. Getting the world’s two largest superpowers to agree together was a vital point of groundwork that lead to the success of the treaty. Two other major western nations that also have had a change in leadership since 2009 were Australia and Canada.

‘Things felt different this time, somehow’, Naturalist and broadcaster David Attenborough, who was attending as an observer, told the Guardian.

For any agreement to last, it’s crucial to have an acceptance from every country in the world, no matter how big or small. Following the doctrine of equality first day of the Paris talks included speeches from world leaders big and small.  The speakers included Perry Christie, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, to Sweden’s Stefan Löfven. Other speaker included UK’S David Cameron. Special mention to while Iran’s Masoumeh Ebtekar who linked climate change to war and terrorism, quoting the Qu’ran: “Give just weight – do not skimp in the balance.”

India’s P.M.Narendra Modi affirmed a global alliance of 120 countries committed to the expansion of solar power. Russia’s Vladimir Putin called climate change “one of the gravest challenges that humanity is facing”. Baron Waqa, from Nauru – the UN’s smallest nation-state, proclaimed about the investment towards sustainable future.

These dialogues continued for a week. Other than these, the host nation organised the different type of ‘meetings’, among delegates to resolve their issues. “Confessionals” meetings were set up where delegates could speak frankly with privacy ensured. The oddly-named “informal informal” were also organised whereupon delegates would address specific areas of contention in the draft text. But the most successful meetings were modelled after a Zulu tradition called the “indaba”. This negotiation tactic was designed to allow every party to voice their opinion, yet quickly arriving at a consensus.

The smallest countries faced the problems to attend them all. To fix that, a group of small island states led by Tony de Brum from the Marshall Islands formed up a “high ambition coalition” with the EU, which negotiated together with an agreed common interest.

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After withstanding all types of hassles, draft agreement began to take shape. By the end of the week, tracker ParisAgreement.org reported that the document was 25,325 words with 916 sets of square brackets that denoted areas of disagreement.

One of the basic points of disagreement was the variation of commitment to limiting the average temperature increase across the planet. Therefore, the final text included a pledge to “pursue efforts” to limit the rise to 1.5C while guaranteeing it would stay “well below” 2C.

Another issue was over climate finance funds provided by well- heeled nations to poorer countries to help decarbonise their economies. Developed nations ended up promising $100 billion a year from 2020. In the end, the issue was somehow simplified by stating that countries “intend to continue their existing collective goal” until 2025, at which time a new goal will be set.

Perhaps the biggest roadblock surrounded was the issue of “Loss and Damage”. Smaller nations were concerned as they saw this as a question of whether they should get special aid when hit by climate-related disasters, but richer nations saw it a question of compensation.

‘As you might imagine, resolving all of that was no easy task.’ UN chief Ban Ki-moon called the talks the “most complicated and difficult” that he had ever been involved in.

The final meetings closing and the draft treaty was announced on 12th November at 5.30pm. French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who had led the talks and played a pivotal role in building the consensus requested the delegates to assemble in the hall while few technicalities in the draft were rectified. Finally, the address came up about the final drafted bill, and the hall erupted with cheer.

The summit deal represents for the first time in years the entire world speaking with one universal voice. The Paris agreement is more than the victory for the environment well as for global cooperation, peace and goodwill. This summit was nothing less of demonstration of global unity.

Authored by a Building Expert from Wienerberger India

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