Progress in Paris: Draft climate change deal is out

PARIS, France (UPDATED) – France is persistent in keeping the climate talks on track.

As promised during its unprecedented meeting on November 29, the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Durban Platform for Enhanced Action (ADP) released on Thursday, December 3, a draft climate agreement. (READ: Climate talks kick off in Paris with sense of urgency)

The ADP is tasked to craft an important negotiating text of the COP21 or the Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

   https://www.scribd.com/doc/292059394/Draft-COP21-Deal”  style=”text-decoration: underline;” >Draft COP21 Deal

But there’s still much work to be done 4 days into the negotiations. The text is heavily bracketed, meaning the wording of various sections is contested by negotiators from member countries.

Draft #COP21 climate deal is out. PH delegation head in Paris maintains vulnerable countries aim for ambitious deal pic.twitter.com/SlzoaeXoAI

— Voltaire Tupaz (@VoltaireTupaz) December 3, 2015

On the eve of the draft deal’s release, the Philippine delegation told Rappler that the inclusion of the 1.5-degree-Celsius goal in the text remains unclear at this phase of the negotiations.

The country is pushing for an agreement that aims to keep global warming below 1.5°C instead of less than 2°C, the disastrous tipping point of climate change.

Head of PH delegation at #COP21 says at least 43 vulnerable countries want 1.5-degree-C goal articulated in deal pic.twitter.com/zIpAOBJVbU

— Voltaire Tupaz (@VoltaireTupaz) December 3, 2015

“We need 1.5 to survive and thrive…. It’s a basic human rights issue,” said Climate Change Commissioner Emmanuel de Guzman, the Philippine delegation head.

“We’re still working on it,” added de Guzman, noting that “it is not yet clear if it will be adopted in the agreement.”

France’s top diplomat Laurent Fabius, who is presiding over 195-nation talks for a UN climate deal, earlier reminded negotiators to expedite the process so as to finish the work by December 11.

“My message is clear: we must accelerate the process because there is still a lot of work to do,” Fabius told journalists covering the historic talks in Paris.

“Options for compromise need to be found as quickly as possible,” Fabius said, noting that “heads of state and government on Monday gave us an unambiguous mandate, and we must succeed.”

Since the high-profile event attended by more than 150 world leaders started on November 30, negotiators have been distilling the draft deal.

The COP21 is scheduled to end at 6 pm (1700 GMT) on December 11, but the climate conference is notorious for textual bickering and running over schedule. – with a report from AFP/Rappler