BERLIN (AP) – Climate change is back on the agenda with a global climate conference kicking off Monday in the German city of Bonn.
Who’s coming, what are the key debates about and how green will this meeting be? Five things to know about the U.N. conference known as COP23, which runs from Nov. 6-17.
____
FILE – In this Aug. 2, 2017 file photo the exhaust pipes of a VW Diesel car are photographed in Frankfurt, Germany.The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Probst,file)
WHO IS COMING TO BONN?
Up to 25,000 people are expected to attend the talks, which will be presided over by Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama of Fiji – the first time that a small island nation will be at the helm of a major international climate conference. Participants will include diplomats from 195 nations, as well as scientists, lobbyists and environmentalists.
The United States, which has announced its intention to pull out of the landmark Paris climate accord, will be represented by Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon.
Key countries to watch during the talks are the emerging economic powers China and India. Other nations – Estonia, Peru, Ecuador, Iran, Mali, Ethiopia and the Maldives – will also be in the spotlight for leading major international groupings.
French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders are expected to fly to Bonn toward the end of the summit to give the talks a final push and signal their commitment to fighting climate change.
___
WHAT ARE THE BIG CLIMATE CHANGE TOPICS NOW?
The 2015 Paris accord set a target of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) – or 2 degrees at the most – by the end of the century.
But diplomats didn’t agree on the details of how their nations will reach that ambitious goal. The Bonn talks will flesh out the rule book that countries have to abide by.
This includes coming up with international standards for how to measure carbon emissions, to make sure that one nation’s efforts can be compare to another’s. A second debate centers around how countries take stock of what’s been achieved and set new, more ambitious goals for curbing carbon emissions after 2020.
The third big issue concerns money. Experts agree that shifting economies away from fossil fuels and preparing countries for some of the inevitable consequences of climate change will require vast financial resources – including some from the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump, which is doubtful about man-made climate change.
___
WHY BONN?
Organizing a massive global conference in Fiji would have strained the Pacific nation’s resources and posed a travel nightmare for thousands of delegates. Germany offered to host the talks in Bonn, the country’s former capital, because it has ample conference space and is already home to the U.N. climate change agency.
Still, they are going to miss the sunshine of Fiji. The weather in Bonn is generally dreary at best in November.
___
HOW GREEN WILL THE CONFERENCE BE?
Germany says the two-week talks will as environmentally friendly as possible. The country is setting aside part of the 117 million euro ($136.3 million) budget for a fleet of bicycles and electric buses to ferry people between venues.
Each participant will receive a bottle to fill with tap water – a move organizers say will save half a million plastic cups.
Germany’s environment ministry is also investing in renewable energy projects to compensate for the greenhouse gas emissions caused by people from all over the world flying into Bonn for the talks.
___
AND WHAT ABOUT GERMANY’S COAL USAGE?
Germany likes to portray itself as a leader in the fight against global warming and Merkel’s reputation as the “climate chancellor” is partly built on the pivotal role she played during past negotiations.
But environmentalists note that Germany still gets about 40 percent of its electricity from coal-fired plants – one of the most carbon intensive sources of energy. And German highways are also virtually unique in having no general speed limit, despite the fact that auto emissions rise dramatically at higher speeds.
If prosperous Germany fails to meet its own emissions targets, as current predictions suggest, critics say that would send a bad signal to the rest of the world.
In this Dec. 19, 2016 file photo Chinese people wearing masks for protection against pollution exercise at Ritan Park during a heavily polluted day in Beijing. The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Andy Wong,file)
File – In this Aug. 9, 2011 file photo, a pregnant Somali woman sits by a tree trunk at UNHCR’s Ifo Extension camp outside Dadaab, eastern Kenya, 100 kms (60 miles) from the Somali border. The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay,file)
FILE – In this March 27, 27, 1995 file photo then German environment minister Angela Merkel speaks on occasion of the UN summit on Climate in Berlin. The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Jan Bauer,file)
California Gov. Jerry Brown talks during an interview with the Associated Press in Rome, Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Brown called climate change an existential threat and said he’s going to announce in Bonn that more signatories will be joining the “Under2 coalition” a global community committed to decarbonization and supporting the Paris Agreement’s climate goal of keeping the rise in global average temperatures below 2 degrees centigrade. He added that the goal should be to get to zero emissions by 2050, and said that “in addition to the national leadership, there is a big opening for those governmental entities below the national state to do their part.” (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
FILE – In this Sept. 19, 2017 file photo the morning sky is colorful illuminated behind wind turbines near Jacobsdorf, Germany. The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (Patrick Pleul/dpa via AP, file)
California Gov. Jerry Brown poses for a photo after an interview with the Associated Press in Rome, Friday, Nov. 3, 2017. Brown called climate change an existential threat and said he’s going to announce in Bonn that more signatories will be joining the “Under2 coalition” a global community committed to decarbonization and supporting the Paris Agreement’s climate goal of keeping the rise in global average temperatures below 2 degrees centigrade. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
FILE – In this Oct. 20, 2017 file photo morning smog envelops the skyline in Mumbai, India. The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)
FILE – In this Feb. 14, 2017 file photo, smoke rises from chimneys of the coal-fired power plant in Bogatynia, Poland. The picture was taken from a hill near the town of Frydlant, Czech Republic. The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek,file)
FILE – In this March 17, 2017 file photo a group of people, stranded in flood waters, hold onto a rope as they wade through flood waters to safety in Lima, Peru. The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia,file)
FILE – In this Nov. 30, 2011 file photo photovoltaic modules and a windmill are pictured in the village of Feldheim near Berlin, Germany. The UN Climate Change Conference 2017 will take place under Presidency of the Government of Fiji in Bonn, Germany and starts on Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, File)
FILE – In this Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016 file photo, water from Roanoke Sound pounds the Virginia Dare Trail in Manteo, N.C., as Tropical Storm Hermine passes the Outer Banks. A massive U.S. report released Friday, Nov. 3, 2017, concludes the evidence of global warming is stronger than ever and that more than 90 percent of it has been caused by humans. Since 1900, the reports said Earth has warmed by 1.8 degrees (1 degree Celsius) and seas have risen by 8 inches. (AP Photo/Tom Copeland)
California Gov. Jerry Brown, front, right, flanked by Minsignor Marcelo Sorondo, shows a paper during a workshop organized by Vatican on the climate change, at the Casina Pio IV, at the Vatican, Saturday Nov.4, 2017. Brown called climate change an existential threat and said he’s going to announce in Bonn that more signatories will be joining the “Under2 coalition” a global community committed to decarbonization and supporting the Paris Agreement’s climate goal of keeping the rise in global average temperatures below 2 degrees centigrade. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.