The UN Climate Change Conference in Peru ( 1- 12 December) kicked off on Monday with inspiring calls to climate action.
In her opening address, the UN's top climate change official Christiana Figueres called on delegates to take inspiration from Peru's famous Nazca lines etched into the soil by Peru's indigenous Nazca people many centuries ago. These lines depict symbols of Nazca mythology, and include the monkey, the hummingbird and the condor.
Ms. Figueres said the world now needed lines of action on climate change that are "as indelible over time as the Nazca lines. "
Drawing parallels to the hard work delegates need to undertake to design the 2015 global Paris agreement, and ramping up immediate climate action, she said:
We must emulate the hard work it took to etch these lines into the soil, embody the tenacity of those who carved them, and create global climate and development agendas with the durability of this ancient art form.
According to Ms. Figueres, key deliverables for the meeting are:
- a draft of a new, universal climate change agreement on the table and clarification of how national contributions will be communicated next year
- consolidating of progress on adaptation to achieve political parity with mitigation, given the equal urgency of both
- enhancement of the delivery of finance, in particular to the most vulnerable
- stimulation of ever-increasing action on the part of all stakeholders to scale up the scope and accelerate the solutions that move us all forward, faster.
Mr. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Environment Minister of Peru, was elected President of the Conference of the Parties (COP 20/CMP 10).
In his opening address, he said that the meeting was taking place against a background of announcements to curb emissions by several major emitting countries and the large public mobilization and many initiatives launched at the September Climate Summit in New York.
He also praised countries for making pledges towards the initial capitalization of the Green Climate Fund.
Alluding to the summary of the latest findings of the UN's International Climate Change, published in October in Copenhagen, COP President Pulgar-Vidal said:
This report contains several messages that are undeniable: never before has there been so much evidence of social and natural effects of severe and irreversible climate change. Never before has it been so clear that the window of opportunity to reduce emissions will soon close. Never before has it been so necessary to ensure that our cities and sectors can adapt to climate change. Never before have we so clearly seen the multiple opportunities for co-benefits through accelerated efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to climate change.
This message was underscored by the Chair of the UN's intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Dr. Rajendra Pauchari, who reminded the audience that unchecked climate change would lead to irreversible consequences.
COP President Pulgar-Vidal said the conference would include space for dialogue and high-level cooperation between states and non-state actors, which should be recognized and encouraged.
He announced that December 11 would be a "Day of Climate Action" at which for example representatives of civil society, women's groups and youth could take the floor.
More than 100 Heads of State and Government and Ministers are scheduled to attend the high-level segment of the conference next week, which begins on 9 December and ends with a decision-making plenary on 12 December.
Also next week, the UNFCCC secretariat will celebrate Momentum for Change lighthouse activities, climate action that demonstrates positive results for innovative finance, women, the urban poor, along with contributions of the information and technology sector to curb emissions and increase adaptive capacity to respond.
Further highlights are a UNFCCC Pre-2020 Action Fair 5, 8 and 9 December in Lima to showcase how action is being scaled up and how many countries and non-state actors are taking action, plus a special "NAMAs day" to promote plans of developing countries to reduce emissions and to develop sustainably which can be supported by developed countries.
The full set of speeches and presentations given at the opening of COP 20 can be found here.
