was in Madrid, Spain, when the 2019 United Nations Climate Change conference got underway. The conference was originally to be hosted by Brazil and then it was changed to Chile but because of unrest in both countries, Spain has agreed to host it on behalf of Chile. This is the 25th United Nationals Climate gathering giving it the name COP25. It began on December 2 and concludes on 13.
There were thousands delegates from the 200 countries and tens of thousands of visitors. Several heads of state and heads of governments as well Ministers attended. The Secretary General of the United Nations also spoke at the opening session on Sunday.
Guterres underlined the urgency of the conference, saying that the climate crisis could soon reach the “point of no return.” The head of the United Nations chided political leaders saying they lack political will to act on climate changes. Guterres said, “[T]he world’s largest emitters are not pulling their weight.
”Much of the conference will revolve around the framework of the Paris Agreement, which seeks to keep global temperature rises to well below 2 degrees centigrade. The delegates at this year’s summit hope to firm up an agreement that was missing at the last climate conference held in Paris in 2015. This year’s conference will also address how carbon-trading systems and compensation for poor countries will work and how countries like Guyana at low sea level will benefit. They will also address benefits for countries that preserve their rain forests.
Europe has taken the lead in the global climate conference committing large amounts of funds. The US Trump Administration has largely boycotted the conference with low level representation. However, U.S. House speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to take a 15-member congressional delegation to Madrid. Last month, the US began the process to withdraw from the Paris agreement—the only country to do so.
It is reported in the media that the last minute change of venue has also affected teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg. New reports stated that she was in the United States preparing to travel overland to Chile for the summit when it was announced that Madrid would host it instead. She was forced to travel back across the Atlantic on a catamaran in order to attend. She does not undertake air travel because she feels it contributes to greenhouse effect that raises earth temperature.Attachments area
