On October 19, the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Multilateral International Development, Multilateral Institutions, International Economic, Energy, and Environmental Policy held a hearing on the upcoming United Nations Conference on Climate Change. Senator John Barrasso (WYR) led the hearing to examine the economic and environmental impacts of the negotiations.
The goal of the talks, which are taking place from November 30 to December 11, 2015, in Paris, is to achieve a universal agreement on climate. Nations responsible for about two-thirds of global pollution have come up with greenhouse emissions targets — known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).
The United States will cut its emissions by 26 percent to 28 percent, compared with 2005 levels, by 2025; the European Union will cut its emissions by 40 percent, compared with 1990 levels, by 2030; and China has agreed that its emissions will peak by 2030. Some countries, including India, have yet to submit their targets.
Pledges by nations to cut carbon emissions are still expected to fall short of the goal of preventing global temperatures from rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius that many scientists say must be met to avoid the worst effects of climate change. Additional approaches that have been suggested include engaging “non-state actors,” such as cities, local governments, and businesses, and subjecting INDCs to regular review in the years ahead.
Another key issue is that poorer countries want financial help from wealthier nations so they can invest in clean technology and adapt their infrastructure to the likely damage from climate change.
In his remarks at the hearing, Senator Barrasso warned that the agreement “won’t achieve the environmental gains that have been promised.” He also maintained that while the United States is reducing its greenhouse gas emissions, fast-developing economies like China are “getting a pass on having to take any shared economic pain.” He further claimed that the Obama Administration was circumventing Congress in its negotiations, and that any agreement must be submitted to the Senate for formal consent.
Todd Stern, the U.S. State Department’s Special Envoy for Climate Change, who will be the lead U.S. negotiator at the talks, was the sole witness. He refuted Senator Barrasso’s objections, saying, “We still have a considerable way to go to land a strong, viable climate agreement in Paris, but we are closer than we ever have been.”
Stern noted that 150 countries, including 100 developing countries, have already put forward their emission targets, an indication that “the old fire-wall between developed and developing countries is coming down.” He added, “This is not a matter of ideology; it is a matter of sober risk management. Our military and intelligence leaders have been sounding the alarm now for years.”
President Obama, who is attending the talks’ opening sessions, said, “If we want to prevent the worst effects of climate change before its’ too late, the time to act is now.”
For more background on global climate change negotiations, see the December 2009 issue of International Debates on “The Road to Copenhagen” and the January 2008 issue of International Debates on “Controlling Global Warming.”
