As negotiators close in on a climate deal, some wins and some losses

In reaction to another draft of the climate change agreement unveiled on Thursday night in Paris, Oxfam Executive Director Helen Szoke said:

 “In a big win for developing and vulnerable countries, the draft has affirmed the need to set quantified funding goals for both climate change mitigation and adaptation for the years after 2020. This is a very encouraging development and we strongly urge negotiators to keep this in the final agreement. The only caveat is that no firm target for funds meant to help vulnerable people adapt to climate change has been identified.

“The loss of the human rights language from Article 2 is extremely disappointing and follows the earlier loss of references to gender equality and just transition to a clean economy. Fortunately, the push to “shift the trillions” from fossil fuels towards cleaner investments remains in the text.

“Some climate change-related disasters can’t be adapted to. This draft has two vastly different approaches to deal with loss and damages, reflecting the tough negotiations that have occurred in the last days, but no clear solution have emerged yet.

 “Ultimately, climate change must be curbed, and the test for that within a Paris agreement is whether or not the emissions cuts that countries put forward are strengthened and reviewed. Worryingly, this current draft shows negotiators have opted to kick this decision to the very last hours of negotiations.

“We’re concerned that "emissions neutrality" has been adopted as the long-term long. This hazy goal could have dramatic land use implications in developing countries, which would lead to mass displacement of people. Huge amounts of land would be needed to absorb carbon from the atmosphere to compensate for continued fossil fuel emissions elsewhere.”