Three years after the historic agreement at the Paris climate agreement have almost decided 200 countries common rules for practical implementation. The head of the UN climate change conference in Poland, Michal Kurtyka, sealed the compromise of the plenary on Saturday in Katowice with a hammer. The goal of the agreement is to limit global warming to well below two degrees. The emissions of greenhouse gases must be reduced from the combustion of coal and Oil in the coming years drastically. Kurtyka said: “This is a historic Moment.”

Among other things, the summit of transparency rules and Standards agreed for CO2 capture, so that the climate protection efforts of the States are comparable with each other. Poor countries, however, time to create the technical preconditions for this.

The climate conference in Katowice was tangled completely in the small print. Since the great, hope-giving climate summit in Paris, the implementing rules have been negotiated already for three years – nevertheless, controversial points remained up to the last Minute not cleared.

The negotiations increased the least because of the rules for trading with emission rights for the emission of carbon dioxide. That sounds like a side-show. However, the sector is likely to grow strongly, because he was regarded as a good means to limit climate change with market-based instruments. Strict rules are so crucial.

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One of the points of dispute May be transferred credits from an already existing trading system, with the industry to reduce countries ‘ own emissions through climate protection projects in developing countries, in the Paris agreement? Environmentalists believe that is not a good idea. “The System is highly criticized because a lot of the measures were not used in addition to, but already had taken place”, says Gilles Dufrasne, expert on emissions trading in the environmental organisation Carbon Market Watch. To transfer credits, however, in the emissions trading system under the Paris agreement, would have been dilutive.

emissions trading to 2019 postponed

a look into the small-Small of the negotiations. Brazil had required to last the absurd rule that the emissions saved may be counted twice: Once, to meet its own voluntary reduction targets, which had to designate each country the climate agreement, according to. Secondly, the mind should be allowed to be sold increases, as pollution rights to other countries.

The Background: Huge areas in Brazil, which could be the afforestation would be double the value. “This is a pure financial self-interest,” commented the representative of an environmental organization. Against the claim of Brazil, most of the other countries fought to the last, because that would have created a lot of loopholes. A solution out there: The issue of emissions trading has been moved to 2019.

developing countries demand compensation

another sticking point is the irreversible damage and losses due to climate change. Under the Heading of “Loss and Damage” has accompanied this issue in the negotiations for years. Developing countries demand a kind of compensation for the consequences of climate change, the to gives you only a small part. The industrialised countries fear, however, for every storm and every Flood.

In the draft of the rule book to the Paris agreements were Packed essential passages to “Loss and Damage” in a footnote. The wanted to let the developing countries do not offer and put your Veto. The theme finally returned, with weak formulations in the main text, the crucial funding issues, but remained open.

Good results, the issue of transparency. All the Nations of the earth be in the future, report to the same rules on their emissions. Previously, each state had different base years, methods of measurement or counting. For all the established Standards of the IPCC.

Video 14.12.2018, 18:07 Uhr00:36 Min.UN climate change conference is likely to be in the extension of

The final document of Katowice includes also a recognition of the recent IPCC special report, and in the increased use to achieve the 1.5 degree target is called for. This point had been in negotiations to be particularly contentious. The USA, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Russia had positioned itself against the summit welcomed the Report, but insisted that he is only “taken note of”. As a compromise formula can be found now in the decision that the “timely completion of the report” is welcomed.

The ambition to rise, the Commitments

the approval, there was also, as the large inventory of the progress since Paris in the year 2023. Probably the most important result in terms of its financing. Here not only the AIDS of the industry are to be considered countries to the developing countries, but the global financial flows. Direct it away from investment in fossil fuels to more Renewable sources is considered to be the best way for more climate protection.

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UN climate change conference, Germany has the Chance of Katowice gave away

Nora Marie Zaremba

The letters of Paris faithful to the conference of Katowice in increasing the ambition of climate protection remains. Confirmed, or better, targets for the reduction of emissions in accordance with the agreement for 2020 on the table. The spirit of Paris, and the recent findings of the research would have actually required more, namely, higher Commitments today. More than a decision to increase the ambition of 2020, actually, and not just the same again, but it was in Katowice is not feasible. (dpa, AFP, epd)