The annual UN climate talks closed in disappointment on Sunday in Madrid, after fourteen days spent trying to hash out a deal.
Countries failed to agree on most of the wished for outcomes, including rules to setup a global carbon trading system along with a system to channel new finance to countries facing the impacts of global warming.
Ambition
Countries agreed in Paris in 2023 to revisit their climate pledges by 2023. But many countries were pushing this season for any clear call for all countries to submit more ambitious climate pledges next year. This really is seen as a key means of ensuring countries place a focus on improving their current pledges, in addition to empowering civil society to hold these to account.
But countries for example China and Brazil opposed placing any obligation on countries to submit enhanced pledges next year, arguing it ought to be each country's own decision. They instead argued the main focus should be on pre-2023 action by developing countries to satisfy their previous pledges (see below).
As talks reached their final days, tensions grew after a draft decision removed any demand countries to “update” or “enhance” their climate plans by 2023. Instead, it just invited them to “communicate” them in 2023 – far weaker language which put no obligation on enhanced ambition.
Reacting to this, a higher ambition coalition, led through the Marshall Islands and backed through the EU Commission and a quantity of European countries, managed to get clear that final Cop 25 decision text must incorporate a clear call for enhanced ambition in 2023.
In the finish, the ultimate text added more ambitious wording back in, pointing directly to the emissions gap between what country pledges currently equal to and what is needed to keep global temperature rise well below 2C.
It also “recalls” that new climate pledges should “represent a progression” beyond previous pledges and represent optimum ambition. This text was a noticable difference on previous drafts but “still weak”, according to Naoyuki Yamagishi of WWF Japan.
Jennifer Tollman, policy advisor at climate thinktank E3G, says the ultimate texts adopted make it clear that countries are required to start closing the emissions gap in 2023. But it “could happen to be strengthened by more direct language urging parties to enhance ambition in 2023 in reaction to climate urgency”, she said.
It's worth noting that 80 countries have already signalled plans to boost their climate pledges the coming year. Even as the talks fell into disarray now, the EU agreed to some “climate neutral” target for 2050, joining 73 countries who've agreed to a similar goal.
Pre-2023
Developing countries have for years expressed their frustration that rich countries haven't lived as much as the weather action they promised as much as 2023.
