From Apia to Paris: Chronicles of COP21

Two and half months after leaving Samoa, I have been given a unique opportunity to bookend my experience with the Samoan Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment. I will meet the Samoan delegation in Paris for the conference that will mark the next phase in the global fight against climate change: COP21.

The 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will take place in Paris from November 30–December 11, 2015. Over the coming weeks, delegations will negotiate to reach an agreement for the next wave of national commitments to combat climate change. To be successful, this agreement must be universal, ambitious, and flexible.

Universal. This agreement must be signed by all countries. When the Kyoto Protocol was signed in 1997, key emitting countries such the United States did not ratify the agreement. This seriously undermined the mutual accountability and commitment needed for an effective international effort to tackle climate change.

Ambitious. In the lead up to COP21, countries submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), which outlined how each country planned on reducing their national emissions levels. Based on these commitments, climate change would increase by 2.7 to 3.5°C by 2100. While a definite improvement from the 4.5 to 6°C increase that would occur if all countries continued to emit at today’s levels, it is not enough. To prevent an increase in extreme climate events, we need to keep within the limit of a 2°C increase by 2100. The challenge for COP21 will be reaching an agreement that clearly outlines how countries will ramp up their national efforts over time to keep within the overarching 2°C goal.

Flexible. While remaining ambitious, this agreement must also be able to adapt to different national contexts, taking into account in particular the challenges faced by small island developing states (SIDS) such as Samoa and least developed countries (LDCs).

We are at a crucial juncture for global efforts to combat climate change. I am honored and excited to be able to be an eye witness to history in the making. Over the next two weeks, I will be posting regular updates with my experiences at the COP, so stay tuned!

For more background information on the Conference, see the "Learn" section of the COP21 website: http://www.cop21.gouv.fr/en/learn/. And for those on Twitter, follow #COP21 for regular updates on progress at the Conference.