Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


                   Activists React to 'Historic' Climate Deal

   by Steve Baragona

   Historic, but not historic enough, is the response from activists and
   civil society groups to the climate deal reached outside Paris.

   The accord makes key commitments to limiting global warming, but falls
   short on assistance to developing countries.

   "For the first time in history, we have the whole world, rich and poor,
   making a public announcement to reduce their emissions and deal with
   the impact of climate change," said Mohamed Adow with the anti-poverty
   group Christian Aid.

   The agreement aims to limit the warming of the planet to "well below 2
   degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels." It adds that nations
   should try to keep warming below 1.5 degrees.

   Key ecosystems

   Environmental groups said the lower figure is critical for key
   ecosystems. Leaders of low-lying island nations said it was critical
   for their survival.

   Countries will come back to the table every five years to review
   progress and increase commitments.

   ''And the document calls for balancing greenhouse gas emissions and
   their removal from the atmosphere after 2050.

   "The new goal of net-zero emissions by the second half of the century
   will send consternation through the boardrooms of coal companies and
   the palaces of oil-exporting states," said Kumi Naidoo, head of
   environmental group Greenpeace International.

   But the agreement alone is not enough to keep global warming below 1.5
   degrees, or even 2 degrees. National plans submitted ahead of the
   conference would put the level of warming closer to 2.7 degrees.

   The commitment to the lower threshold is an important moral victory,
   but "it may ring hollow unless we see a significant increase in action
   in the years ahead," said climate policy chief Tim Gore with the aid
   group Oxfam.

   Developed countries' aid

   The agreement sets a floor of $100 billion per year for developed
   countries to contribute to developing countries' efforts to adapt to
   and mitigate climate change.

   "That does not represent any progress from where we were" after the
   last major climate change meeting in Copenhagen, said Lidy Nacpil,
   coordinator of the Asian Peoples Movement on Debt and Development.
   Nacpil said current pledges fall far short of what has been agreed.

   ''A mechanism to deal with loss and damage from storms, droughts,
   rising seas and other climate change impacts is contained in the
   document.

   Some chafing

   But several groups chafed at the inclusion - reportedly at the
   insistence of the United States - of language that excludes the
   possibility of assigning liability or compensation.

   "This deal has clearly shown that developed countries have erased their
   responsibility toward developing countries," said Azeb Girmai, climate
   lead for LDC Watch International.

   Some observers say the most significant outcomes of the Paris climate
   summit are outside the document itself. They point to the momentum
   generated behind actions to tackle climate change in cities and
   businesses.

   "Businesses understand that something is in the offing," said Philippe
   Defosses, director of the French pension fund ERAPF and a member of the
   We Mean Business industry coalition. "You have to be blind not to see
   it."
     __________________________________________________________________

   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/activists-react-to-historic-climage-d
   eal/3100388.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/activists-react-to-historic-climage-deal/3100388.html