In November and December this year, France will host the Climate Change Summit, called the 21st Conference of the parties (COP21).

According to French ambassador Jean-Luc Florent, who gave an informal briefing on the issue on Friday in Nicosia, more than 30,000 people will gather in Paris including 196 national delegates, members of international organisations, NGOs, businessmen and private firms, with the objective of reaching an agreement and define solutions to limit global warming to less than 2°C in comparison with the preindustrial era.

He said the support of EU institutions and member-states would be critical. “This is why also in Nicosia we plan to act, with Cypriot and EU institutions and civil society, to raise awareness and mobilise,” he said.

A series of events, notably scientific conferences, will be organised throughout the year to contribute to Cypriot debates, “because Cyprus is also concerned about climate change”, the ambassador said.

“The stakes are tremendous. If the world continues without limiting its greenhouse gas emissions, global warming could be up to 5/6°C, leading to a massive change of the global climate system. And the window of opportunity to limit global warming to 2°C is rapidly closing, as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change told us in its last report,” he added.

Florent said that after the failure of the Copenhagen Summit, Paris must succeed. He said there was still hope of limiting climate change by mean of new technologies, the development of which were an opportunity for green growth.

“A vast majority of people and governments now accept the realities of global warming and know that we have to act,” said Florent.

“France, as the host country will have to facilitate negotiations, listen to participating members and help find compromises, ensure that the principle of equity will be respected (the agreement has to be adapted to every countries’ specific situations), and be volunteer, ambitious so that the agreement is reached and signed,” he added.

Source: Cyprus Mail