Pre-2020 action of developed nations is essential to limit the global average temperature rise, says French envoy for climate change negotiations

NEW DELHI: As majority of the countries signed the Paris Agreement last month, everyone is waiting for its ratification by big players like the US, China, India, Brazil and the EU. Amid hope of its early implementation, the French ambassador for climate change negotiations, Laurence Tubiana, said France will ratify it in June and hoped that the global agreement to take action to face the challenges of climate change would come into force way before 2020. In an email interview to TOI, she explained how it is now important for the world to take the promised actions to limit the global average temperature increase below 2 degree Celsius or below 1.5 degree Celsius, if possible, quickly. She also spoke about importance of public-private initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance and Mission Innovation in which India has played a leading role. Excerpts:

What will be the next step after signing the Paris Agreement when the road to its ratification still looks tough in view of the US Presidential election?

Last month in New York, 175 countries signed the Paris Agreement. This is a new world record: the highest number of signatures in one day for any international agreement, not just on the environment. After the adoption of the Agreement in Paris on December 12 last year, it sent another very powerful signal about the international community’s strong resolve to limit the global average temperature increase below 2 degree Celsius or 1.5 degree Celsius if possible, transition to a zero-emission and climate-resilient economy, and achieve sustainable and just development.


The next step is ratification. For the agreement to enter into force, we need it to be ratified by at least 55 countries representing 55% of global GHG emissions. Several countries have already ratified the Paris Agreement, including many small islands and developing states, which in my view is a very important symbol. And several others, representing 39% of global GHG emissions, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Philippines, the US and 10 countries from Africa, have expressed their intention to ratify this year. This has built momentum for the early entry into force of the agreement, which I am sure will happen way before 2020.

When will France\EU ratify the Paris Agreement?

France will ratify the Paris Agreement by the end of this parliamentary session, in June. It is very important for us, as the Presidency of COP21, to be part of the first acting countries. For the EU as a whole, it will inevitably take a bit longer, because it needs to agree on the details of the burden-sharing agreement among its member States before it can ratify it. The slow speed of the EU institutional processes can be frustrating at times. But on the other hand, it is important that there is a serious domestic debate about the implications of the Paris Agreement, and that we take time to build consensus at the national and regional levels. Because this is what is most important for the effective and sustained implementation of the Paris Agreement.

How can the developed nations win the trust of their developing counterparts without their pre-2020 action?

Increased pre-2020 action is indeed essential to keep open the option of limiting the global average temperature increase below 2°C, or even lower, to 1.5°C. Developed countries have an important role to play in this regard, particularly by mobilizing the 100 billion USD of climate finance per year by 2020, which will enable developing countries to raise the level of ambition of their mitigation and adaptation actions further. For developed countries that are party to the Kyoto Protocol, the ratification of the Doha amendment on the second commitment period of the KP is also an important matter.

But all countries should think about ways in which their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) can be revised, including pre-2020, because, collectively, they are insufficient to put us on a plausible path to 2°C or 1.5°C. The facilitation dialogue in 2018 will play an important role in this regard, and that’s why it would be really beneficial if countries came to it with a national strategy for mid-century low-emission development consistent with the temperature goal and sustainable development objectives. For countries to be able to increase the level of ambition of their emission reduction targets, the cost of technologies will have to decrease further, as well as the cost of capital. That’s why public-private initiatives, in which India has played a leading role, such as the International Solar Alliance and Mission Innovation, are so crucial.

What would be the role of the UNFCCC in the overall implementation of the Paris Agreement?

The global framework agreement we adopted in Paris was a great success, a truly historic success. But Paris was only a turning point, and now the hard work begins: the actual implementation of the Paris Agreement; but also raising ambition even further, to make sure we limit the temperature increase below 2°C, or 1.5°C if possible, because the current set of nationally determined contributions are not sufficient yet. The facilitative dialogue in 2018 will play an important role in this regard, as along with the global stock-take – for both actions and support – after that.

We need to shift from negotiation mode to cooperation mode. This is the main challenge looking ahead. We need to tap into the potential for international cooperation on policy, finance and technology. We need to transform NDCs into policy and investment plans, and make sure they are supported when needed. The UNFCCC Secretariat will have to adapt to this new phase, as well as continue its role of facilitating the negotiation process itself.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is looking for some kind of taxation regime to deal with the emission in aviation sector. What is your take on it from the French or the EU perspective?

The ICAO issue is indeed an important and a tricky one. Emissions from the international aviation sector are already significant, and rising fast. There is no way we can address the climate change and sustainable development challenges without addressing the source of these emissions, which are excluded from the scope of the Paris Agreement. The airline industry is, in many respects, a global industry, and emissions from this sector cannot easily be attributed to a particular country. But in the meantime, there are important national circumstances to be taken into account when addressing this issue, including the fact that all countries are not at the same level of development.

But the industry showed the way by committing to limit its emissions to the 2020 level. So governments must now follow up, and find a way that works for all. Not just to offset the emissions from the sector, but to actually reduce them through the development of new technologies. If we managed to agree on a global climate agreement, I see no reason why we cannot address this much more limited issue. But we must do it this year, otherwise the window of opportunity will close. But the prospects for reaching an agreement are rather good.