France presiding over turning point in battle against climate change

France will not give in to terrorism by suspending its way of life or living in fear. We will stand for our values, for our liberty and will not retreat from the international scene. That is why the 21st United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP21) is going ahead in Paris, though for security reasons the climate marches scheduled for November 29 and December 12 were cancelled. 

As presiding host for COP21, France thanks each and every head of state or government who attended the Leaders’ event for the opening ceremony. Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha and the Thai delegation added their strong commitment to the push for a global, ambitious and legally binding agreement towards limiting global warming to the critical level of 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius.

Thailand submitted its commitment – the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution – ahead of COP21. In October, Thailand also ratified the Doha Amendment to the Kyoto Protocol, a binding mechanism for limiting greenhouse gas emissions to be implemented between 2015 and 2020. 

Now comes a crucial few days in which we must maintain momentum to reach our common targets.

Ministers and delegates in Paris will be deliberating upon a draft text that was forged by consensus at the ADP Bonn Session earlier this year, one of many international summits that laid the foundations for COP21.

At the Paris Conference, civil society is being represented at the Climate Generation Space while private companies are at the Solution Gallery. They will deliver a bottom-up approach, with concrete solutions for coping with climate change. Both sectors are working on the transition to a low-carbon and resilient economy through diverse initiatives such as Business Summits, the “Why Do I Care” campaign and the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA). 

The LPAA promotes international cooperation towards the Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action, which showcases commitments by companies, cities, subnational regions and investors. Thailand has made 67 commitments to the NAZCA platform, five of which cooperative on an international scale and involve companies such as SCG Cement and PTT. On October 20, the Franco-Thai Chamber of Commerce highlighted the importance of sustainable businesses by rewarding Thai and French companies in Thailand for their innovative approaches and their commitment to corporate social responsibility. 

Finance is also an important part of “green” business and national development. In 2013-14, developed countries raised US$62 billion in climate financing to developing countries to support their efforts to reduce emissions, putting us on track to reach the $100 billion target by 2020. Part of that financing will go to the Green Climate Funds dedicated to supporting mitigation and adaptation projects.  

Financing will be the theme of one of the 12 high-level LPAA Focus Events in Paris, which culminate in the Action Day on Saturday. These events will highlight the challenges of structural transformation towards a low-carbon world through major themes such as “Resilience”, “Energy”, “Transport” and “Innovation”.

On December 7 and 8, the High Level Segment will see governments and also intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations make statements related to their actions and plans on climate change. 

The Paris Climate Conference is a tremendous opportunity to transform the universal 17 sustainable development goals for 2030, adopted at the UN in September, into concrete actions. 

As such, Paris is a turning point in the battle against climate change. But it is not an ending point. It is a step towards more equitable development opportunities. COP22 will take place in Morocco next year. France will work closely with the next host to strengthen commitments that will be made this year.

 

Gilles Garachon is French ambassador to Thailand.