• World
    • Africa
    • Asia Pacific
    • Central & South Asia
    • Europe
    • Latin America & Caribbean
    • Middle East & North Africa
    • North America
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
    • US Election
    • US politics
    • Joe Biden
    • Brexit
    • European Union
    • India
    • Arab world
  • Economics
    • Finance
    • Eurozone
    • International Trade
  • Business
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Startups
    • Technology
  • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Music
    • Film
    • Books
    • Travel
  • Environment
    • Climate change
    • Smart cities
    • Green Economy
  • Global Change
    • Education
    • Refugee Crisis
    • International Aid
    • Human Rights
  • International Security
    • ISIS
    • War on Terror
    • North Korea
    • Nuclear Weapons
  • Science
    • Health
  • 360 °
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice
  • About
  • FO Store
Sections
  • World
  • Coronavirus
  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Sign Up
  • Login
  • Publish

Make Sense of the world

Unique insight from 2,000+ contributors in 80+ Countries

Close

How COP21 Will Impact on the SDGs

By David Hulme • Dec 05, 2015
Climate Change

© Shutterstock

A good COP21 will mean that the Sustainable Development Goals are taken more seriously.

On November 30, the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) started in Paris. After almost 20 years of climate talks, it is hoped that the international community will finally agree concerted action to tackle climate change. Though a tiny minority still debate the science, it is generally agreed that the world needs to reduce emissions so that warming of the climate due to human activity does not climb higher than 2 degrees Celsius—remembering that a number of already-vulnerable countries are threatened by temperature rises of 1.5 degrees Celsius.

If we have a good COP, all countries will agree to reduce their carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions over the next 10-20 years. Each will identify a year in which their emissions peak, then steadily decline. It is probable that this would happen in a staggered way—some countries would peak in 2020, others 2025. By 2030, every country in the world should have peaked and be on the way downward. The consequences of this vary greatly between countries. For example, if you’re a country that likes to use large amounts of cheap petrol or cheap energy, this will mean increasing energy prices and investing more in energy efficiency.

If COP21 goes well, major countries will agree to peaking early and commit to a rapid decline. The emerging powers will come onboard, with China and India demonstrating their commitment by pledging to peak their emissions in 2030. You’ll also see the rich world saying that it will not retain patents or licensing agreements on green technologies—enabling them to spread rapidly across the world.

A good COP will also mean that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are taken more seriously. If we don’t get an agreement at COP21, it will effectively tell countries: You’re not part of an effective global governance system, which is going to make life better for everybody. We’d be the same old world in which most countries are pursuing their narrow self-interest, so you can suit yourselves. The SDGs have a far greater focus on the environment and sustainability than the Millennium Development Goals, and so this is a step toward securing a good COP in itself. However, a bad deal would hugely undermine the credibility of the newly minted SDG agreement.

Around the World

The recent terror attacks in Paris have meant that the public climate marches planned to take place throughout the summit are, quite logically, no longer approved. Although this could be expected to reduce the civil society contribution to the COP discussions, which was seen as being significant, activity over last weekend indicates that publics still plan to have their say. I would hope that the attacks show most nations that if they want to move into a world where terrorism is at relatively low levels, then greater cooperation is needed. Agreement at COP21 would represent a very positive step forward, which would make it easier to talk about other positive steps forward.

Potential obstacles are likely to be driven by politics—countries seeking to protect their national interest, which may involve adjusting the agreement to suit some countries a little bit better, at the expense of others. Broader political power dynamics also come into play. India, for example wants to be seen as a very important player in this. It’s not going to simply be seen to “do what it’s told,” but will probably seek to “Indianize” the deal more. Agriculture is an incredibly tense aspect for India, because it has a large small farmer population—with significant democratic power—to protect.

If the United States does something more progressive and ambitious than expected, the rest of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is likely to follow suit. President Barack Obama and his administration want to be part of the agreement, but Congress and the Republicans don’t want to move on it, due to concern about potential damage to the US economy and jobs.

The chief point is that the agreement has to be something that the US president can sign, that doesn’t require ratification by the US Senate. A treaty is desirable, because it would be binding and countries can be penalized if they don’t honor it. However, a treaty would require ratification by the US Congress, which is unlikely to pass. A deal that doesn’t include the US would essentially render it inoperable.

*[This article was originally published by Development@Manchester.]

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.

Photo Credit: Riccardo Mayer / Shutterstock.com


Fair Observer - World News, Politics, Economics, Business and CultureWe bring you perspectives from around the world. Help us to inform and educate. Your donation is tax-deductible. Join over 400 people to become a donor or you could choose to be a sponsor.

Share Story
Categories360° Analysis, Blog, Environment, Europe, Global Change Tagsclimate change, COP21, Earth to Paris, Sustainable Development Goals
Join our network of more than 2,000 contributors to publish your perspective, share your story and shape the global conversation. Become a Fair Observer and help us make sense of the world.

READ MORE IN THIS 360° SERIES

Donald Trump and the Paris Climate Agreement
By Henrik Selin & Adil Najam • Nov 23, 2016
No Climate Justice Without Gender Justice
By Renee Juliene Karunungan • Nov 18, 2016
Investing in the Fight Against Climate Change
By Vasundhara Saravade • Nov 08, 2016
Implementing Climate Change Policies
By Sohara Mehroze Shachi • Mar 18, 2016
Estonian Involvement Can Decide Success of Energy Transition
By Sören Tiitsmann • Mar 02, 2016
US Trade Policy Clouds Climate Prospects
By Veena Trehan • Mar 01, 2016
Climate Change and the Distrust of Authority
By Arek Sinanian • Feb 22, 2016
The Rejection of Climate Change
By Arek Sinanian • Jan 24, 2016
The Paris Climate Deal and What It Means for ASEAN
By Jed Alegado • Dec 17, 2015
Climate Deal Will Only Stick If It’s Just
By Atul Singh • Dec 15, 2015
Polar Bear and the Poor Miss Out in Paris
By Chitra Subramaniam • Dec 14, 2015
Why Do Some People Reject Climate Change?
By Arek Sinanian • Dec 14, 2015
Indigenous Women: Respect Our Knowledge and Tradition
By Renee Juliene Karunungan • Dec 13, 2015
We Must Fight Climate Change to Win the War on Terror
By Vasundhara Saravade • Dec 12, 2015
Citizens Can Play Active Role in Urban Biodiversity
By Pari Trivedi • Dec 11, 2015
Corporate Sponsors of Climate Conference Raise Eyebrows
By Anton Jaekel • Dec 11, 2015
/nas/wp/www/sites/fairobserver/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Climate-change2.jpg
Climate Talks Show Lack of Female Representation
By Riddhima Yadav • Dec 10, 2015
City Nature is a Gateway for Climate Activism
By Charlotte Flechet • Dec 10, 2015
A Love Letter From #EarthToParis… Narrated by Morgan Freeman
By Fair Observer • Dec 08, 2015
Arab Unity Over Climate Change Presents an Opportunity
By Ali Mohamed Ahmed • Dec 05, 2015
Youth Are Finding Solutions to Climate Change
By Renee Juliene Karunungan • Dec 04, 2015
Climate Change: A Clear and Present Danger
By Atul Singh • Dec 02, 2015
Empowering Women is Part of the Climate Solution
By Renee Juliene Karunungan • Dec 02, 2015
‪#EarthToParis: This is NOT About Jack Black‬
By Fair Observer • Nov 30, 2015
What Do Past Patterns of Climate Change Tell Us?
By Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective • Nov 30, 2015
Sustainable Development is a Lie
By Derrick Jensen • Nov 19, 2015
/nas/wp/www/sites/fairobserver/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Climate-Change.jpg
Climate Change is No Laughing Matter
By Fair Observer • Nov 09, 2015
African Women Innovate to Battle Climate Change
By Fair Observer • Oct 14, 2015

Post navigation

Previous PostPrevious Cuba is Frozen in Time, But That’s About to Change
Next PostNext Is Putin Really as Foolish as We Are?
Subscribe
Register for $9.99 per month and become a member today.
Publish
Join our community of more than 2,500 contributors to publish your perspective, share your narrative and shape the global discourse.
Donate
We bring you perspectives from around the world. Help us to inform and educate. Your donation is tax-deductible.

Explore

  • About
  • Authors
  • FO Store
  • FAQs
  • Republish
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contact

Regions

  • Africa
  • Asia Pacific
  • Central & South Asia
  • Europe
  • Latin America & Caribbean
  • Middle East & North Africa
  • North America

Topics

  • Politics
  • Economics
  • Business
  • Culture
  • Environment
  • Global Change
  • International Security
  • Science

Sections

  • 360°
  • The Interview
  • In-Depth
  • Insight
  • Quick Read
  • Video
  • Podcasts
  • Interactive
  • My Voice

Daily Dispatch


© Fair Observer All rights reserved
We Need Your Consent
We use cookies to give you the best possible experience. Learn more about how we use cookies or edit your cookie preferences. Privacy Policy. My Options I Accept
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Edit Cookie Preferences

The Fair Observer website uses digital cookies so it can collect statistics on how many visitors come to the site, what content is viewed and for how long, and the general location of the computer network of the visitor. These statistics are collected and processed using the Google Analytics service. Fair Observer uses these aggregate statistics from website visits to help improve the content of the website and to provide regular reports to our current and future donors and funding organizations. The type of digital cookie information collected during your visit and any derived data cannot be used or combined with other information to personally identify you. Fair Observer does not use personal data collected from its website for advertising purposes or to market to you.

As a convenience to you, Fair Observer provides buttons that link to popular social media sites, called social sharing buttons, to help you share Fair Observer content and your comments and opinions about it on these social media sites. These social sharing buttons are provided by and are part of these social media sites. They may collect and use personal data as described in their respective policies. Fair Observer does not receive personal data from your use of these social sharing buttons. It is not necessary that you use these buttons to read Fair Observer content or to share on social media.

 
Necessary
Always Enabled

These cookies essential for the website to function.

Analytics

These cookies track our website’s performance and also help us to continuously improve the experience we provide to you.

Performance
Uncategorized

This cookie consists of the word “yes” to enable us to remember your acceptance of the site cookie notification, and prevents it from displaying to you in future.

Preferences
Save & Accept