Developed countries do not wish to provide a road map before 2019 for their financial commitments to fight climate change. But at the Lima talks they have demanded that the linked actions of developing countries to reduce emissions be announced and reviewed well before, by 2015 itself. This has led to a logjam on the issue of finance in the negotiations. But, it has also got all the factions within the over-arching G77+China group of 134 developing countries aligned close. --Nitin Sethi,
Business Standard, 12 December 2014
Ritual: a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order. --Oxford Dictionary.
Climate negotiators went to Lima in an optimistic atmosphere, but hopes for a strong outcome to the discussions have receded with just one day of talks left. Developing and developed countries continue to disagree on how responsibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions should be shared. --Peter Teffer,
Euobserver, 12 December 2014
“The developed countries are also trying through several routes to hoist obligations on developing countries to also contribute to the Green Climate Fund. They are using various phrases to insert this idea in the Lima decisions. This would rewrite the existing agreements and again transfer the burden to countries like us,” said a diplomat from a developing country. “The developed countries will have to relent at Lima on this. They cannot have their cake and eat it, too.” He noted it was one issue on which the different developing country groups had all come together. “In fact, the anger against the backtracking on finance by developed countries is convincing the poor countries to also come together on other issues at Lima,” he added. --Nitin Sethi,
Business Standard, 12 December 2014
Greenpeace activists caused “irreparable damage” to a large area of the Nazca lines, an ancient monument, during a publicity stunt, according to a Peruvian prosecutor investigating the incident. A spokeswoman for the public prosecutor said that, under Peruvian law, causing damage to a world heritage site could be punishable by a prison sentence of three to six years. The Peruvian culture ministry is also considering suing Greenpeace for damages. --Ben Webster,
The Times, 12 December 2014
"One Greenpeace member said there was great anger inside the organisation that ‘stupid’ activists had tarnished its reputation and undermined its work at the Lima climate conference." Sorry Greenpeace darlings, hate to burst the bubble, your reputation was in the gutters long before this incident and I see no way of salvaging it, unless, you do the right thing and dissolve this thuggish cult. --Times reader Charles Lamb,
The Times 12 December 2014
The United States urged developing countries on Thursday to ease objections to a world deal on climate change as deadlines loomed at a 12-day UN meeting in Lima. The talks, meant to pave the way to a landmark pact in Paris next year, are scheduled to conclude on Friday, but delegates reported deadlock and a souring mood as the final day neared. --
Associated Press, 12 December 2014
The European Commission plans to scrap its flagship Circular Economy package and anti-air pollution rules next week. The executive will ditch the rules from its 2015 work programme, sources told EurActiv. That is set to be announced on Wednesday. --
EurActiv, 11 December 2014
