All you need to know about Paris talks
Leaders from around the world will meet in Le Bourget, just outside the French capital, to negotiate a new international agreement to curb global warming through the United Nations.
Negotiations will start in Paris on Sunday, a day ahead of schedule, the UN said as a report warned 2015 could become the hottest year on record. The crunch UN summit will be officially opened by more than 190 heads of state and government on Monday as planned, making it the biggest gathering of world leaders on climate in history.
Here is everything that you need to know about the Paris climate change talks:
What is the meeting all about?
When is it taking place?
Who's going?
What's the aim?
Will the Paris talks help?
The summit will attempt to agree to a new international deal to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The talks are formally known as COP21. World leaders are expected to call for an ambitious deal that will avoid a dangerous rise in global average temperatures.
The summit will officially open on Monday, November 30, although negotiators will start work the day before. It is due to conclude on Friday, December 11, but past summits have often overrun.
More than 190 world leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and UK's Prime Minister David Cameron will be among the heads of state joining French President Francois Hollande to kick off the opening day ceremony on Sunday.
The UN wants to agree a truly universal global deal on tackling climate change for the first time, as part of efforts to prevent global warming exceeding 2 degree Celsius above pre-industrial levels this century. That's the level of warming beyond which scientists agree the world is likely to see the most severe effects of climate change.
The summit will attempt to agree to a new international deal to tackle climate change by cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The talks are formally known as COP21. World leaders are expected to call for an ambitious deal that will avoid a dangerous rise in global average temperatures.
Climate divide: Who stands where
Hover over criteria to understand the stances of the developed world, developing world and India on various climate change issues
Tech Transfer: Mechanism for quicker adoptability
of cleaner technologies
Developed World:
Patent regime cannot be dismantled for tech transfer; joint research and collaboration technology networks possible.
Developing World:
Technologies should be transferred at low cost especially to most vulnerable and least developed nations.
India:
Tech transfer should help the developing world to move faster towards low carbon economy and the cost should not be prohibitive.
Carbon pricing: Trading of carbon credits
Developed World:
Needs a global price for carbon to incentivise clean technology and ensure decarbonisation. To be implemented through national carbon exchanges.
Developing World:
Carbon price has to be nationally determined and it cannot be top-down approach.
India:
Has a domestic carbon trading system called Performance Achieve and Trade (PAT) but carbon price cannot be used as a tool to dampen a country's economic growth.
Climate finance: $100 billion by 2020
Developed World:
Committed to provide finance from all sources including private and other development assistance (ODA).
Developing World:
Climate finance should be dedicated public money excluding ODA and private funds.
India:
Rich nations have to give roadmap to provide climate finance from public funds with half of the money going towards adaptation and rest for mitigation measures.
Legal character: Nature of Paris agreement
Developed World:
Rich nations, except US and Canada, want the Paris agreement to be binding for all countries. US wants the commitments to be voluntary with the proposed agreement providing framework to adopt low carbon economy.
Developing World:
Paris agreement should maintain differentiation between Annex and non-Annex countries and should not re-write the basic principles of the UN climate convention.
India:
Similar to the developing world and wants the agreement to be equitable.
Differentiation: Responsibility of rich and developing world to fight climate change
Developed World:
Wants to do away with Annex (industrialised countries) and non-Annex (developing) countries' differentiation of Kyoto Protocol (KP) and have a universal agreement in Paris.
Developing World:
Seeks to continue with KP arrangement with rich nations having to reduce emissions and others taking voluntary emission control commitments.
India:
Differentiation should continue based on equity and respective capabilities of every country as per their national circumstances.
Transparency: Open review of country wise commitments
Developed World:
A universal reporting and review for all nations. Wants annual submission of report by every country on climate commitment for review by a notified agency.
Developing World:
Wants more rigorous review mechanism for developed world than other countries. Most vulnerable island nations and least developed nations want an open reporting system unlike emerging economies.
India:
Review should be nationally determined and not intrusive in nature. Questions can be asked only for projects funded by rich nations.
Mitigation - Reducing climate emissions
Developed World:
Emerging economies should also take emission reduction or capping target.
Developing World:
Only rich nations responsible for climate change required to reduce emissions. For others, emission control is voluntary.
India:
Voluntarily reduce growth of carbon emissions and will not allow its per capita emissions to rise more than the global average.
Adaptation: Compensation mechanism called
'Loss and Damage'
Developed World:
Loss because of climate change difficult to measure and therefore loss and damage mechanism difficult to implement.
Developing World:
Need to focus on adaptation along with mitigation, seeks a compensation mechanism from rich nations called loss and damage.
India:
Climate finance needs to be equally divided between mitigation and adaptation.
Topsy turvy history of climate talks
Climate change is as old as industralisation.Find how:
Current emission vs projected emission
Hover over criteria to know the current and projected emissions of various countries
* Projected cut from business as usual
Current emission
Projected emission
Projected cut*