Fatal threats affecting the planet

The UN backed Climate Change Conference concluded its 20^th summit in Peru, Lima hoping for a new effective universal climate change agreement to be held in Paris next year.

The two week summit, also known as the Conference of the Parties (COP 20) was attended by 196 countries to find an immediate and a feasible solution for the catastrophic issues affecting the world like global warming and drastic climate changes. New agreement would come into effect in 2020 and is expected to be made in Paris next year. Secretary General Ban Ki moon praised the delegates for the summit urging them to enter into a more conclusive negotiation on the matter. Global warming is on a rise and so are the dangerous changes in climate, one of the greatest threats facing the planet, making it difficult for the species including human beings. Recent years show increasing temperatures in various regions and increasing extremities in weather patterns. Due to this in 1988, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was created by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the World Meterological Organization (WMO) to assess the scientific knowledge on global warming. The reports paved way for the international convention for climate change, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), signed by over 150 countries.

The negotiations during the Lima summit, reportedly “stumbled” over the issues like differentiating between the responsibilities and obligations of developing and developed countries with the parties getting frustrated during the discourses. There was an initial disagreement over the distribution of responsibilities and costs bringing the negotiations to a deadlock. Industrialized nations emit far more green house gases than the poor and developing nations and are therefore more responsible to address the issues of climate change. They should extend financial and technological support to the developing nations who are more vulnerable and suffer the most. But the rich and powerful countries ignore the responsibilities and blame the poor nations for the negotiation failures on the matter. The nations are working hard to increase the emission reductions before 2020 before the Paris summit would come into effect.

The effects of human influence on the climate system are huge and the earth is warming up at an irreversible rate. According to the report, “it is not too late to make a difference but there is no time to lose heart”. The countries have agreed to keep the average global temperature rise below 2 degree Celsius, the internationally agreed limit to ward off irreversible climate change. The climate changes are worsening and the impact on the poor countries are huge. The slow pace of negotiations will surely affect them. Global warming also increases the chance of life threatening diseases that are likely to affect the under developed countries. Therefore the concerned authorities should scale up measures to tackle the issues that are already threatening human existence.