As the dust settles, it’s becoming a little bit clearer what has been agreed to here.
Developing nations are pleased their vulnerability to climate impacts has been recognised by the fund for climate loss and damage, but many rich nations will be disappointed about fossil fuels.
As my colleague Justin Rowlatt said a little earlier, new language was in the final political statement that included “low emissions“ energy alongside renewable power as the energy sources of the future.
That could be used to justify new fossil fuel development – which is exactly what global climate scientists in the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency advise against.
It could refer to gas, which is often cleaner than oil and coal, but not a renewable fuel like wind or solar.
The summit also seems to have moved the commitment to try to limit the average rise in global temperatures to 1.5C by 2100 – that’s the crucial temperature threshold scientists say we cannot go above if we are to avoid the worst of climate change.
Leaders warned about this from the beginning, and it will be deeply disappointing for rich nations if there is now less global ambition to urgently cut fossil fuel use.
As you’ll appreciate, we’re reporters and not lawyers – the UN is full of legal, technical language – so we’re still poring over everything and talking to experts and analysts for their views. We’ll bring you more when we get it.
Source: BBC