Wael Hmaidan, director of the Climate Action Network said he is optimistic about the COP21 to reach climate agreement. speaking to green area.me in Le Bourget where COP21 is held until Friday.
Hmaidan listed several criteria for a potential agreement, including an “ambitious target” to reduce carbon output, a slate of tools to measure countries’ progress and a “legally binding” mechanism to ensure countries adhere to their carbon reduction commitments.
It’s not hard to understand how a country whose economy is very dependent on fossil fuels might be concerned at the suggestion of tougher targets, explains Hmaidan. “They’re concerned if we move into 1.5, that means even more radical action,” he said.
The deepest problem is that even as 1.5 degrees is gaining momentum in the Paris discussion, at least as a number that might be mentioned in the final agreement text alongside 2 degrees C, the grim math behind the carbon problem raises severe doubts about how achievable the target really is.
