A major UN report on climate change was approved by various governments on Sunday after stalling it for hours. The report by UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change compiled rigorous research on global warming since the 2015 Paris climate accord.
The difference of opinions between developed and developing nations resulted in a stall in the launch of the report which was supposed to be concluded on Friday. Countries such as China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, the US, and the European Union wrangled over the wording of key phrases in the text of the report.
The problem arose for the main text of the report as a summary of the research had already been approved early Sunday. The motive behind having all the countries sign on a research report was intended to provide a base for countries to act upon in a more decisive and authoritative manner.
One main issue that was highlighted throughout the discussions was how to define which nations fit in the definition of vulnerable developing countries as they were to be eligible for cash from a UN fund. The ‘loss and damage fund’ agreed upon by UN members at the last UN Climate talks in Egypt was set up to provide funds for developing countries to contain emissions.
Moreover, delegates also debated the greenhouse gas emission statistics and figures, and how to include artificial or natural carbon removal efforts. Whereas, after being the biggest carbon dioxide releaser since industrialization, the US refused to and strongly pushed back against the notion of historic responsibility for climate change.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasised the possibility of limiting the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius even though it has risen to 1.1 degrees Celsius currently. At the start of the meeting, Guterres called on delegates to provide ‘cold, hard facts’ to send a message of climate urgency across the world.
The UN plans to publish the report on Monday now that all the parties have a consensus on the report.
