Nations meet in Germany to refine global climate deal

Doyle Rice | USA TODAY

Six months.That's how much time the international community has to develop a climate deal that legally binds the world's nations to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming.

"The agreement would be a universal, United Nations agreement spelling out how countries of the world are going to cooperate on climate change for years to come," said Jennifer Morgan, a climate policy expert at the World Resources Institute.

Diplomats and negotiators from dozens of countries, along with representatives from non-profit organizations and corporations, are gathering this week in Bonn, Germany, to streamline a draft of the agreement, which will be finalized in Paris in December.

The two-week session is hosted by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Bonn. Countries work together through the UNFCCC to craft policies and agreements to reduce carbon emissions and also help countries build resilience to climate impacts, according to WRI spokesman Rhys Gerholdt.

One the main goals of the meeting is to shorten the sprawling climate change negotiating text, the Associated Press reported, which is now at about 90 pages. Another goal is to advance talks ahead of the December climate summit.

At the heart of the negotiations is finding a way to keep the world's climate from warming 3.6 degrees above what the global temperature was in the late 1800s, at the start of the Industrial Revolution. Since then, the Earth's temperature has risen by about 1.4 degrees.

The talks unfold against a backdrop of record global temperatures. Every month of 2015 so far has broken global temperature records, according to data from both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA. Last year was the warmest on record, and 2015 could top it.

"We arrived here in Bonn with a 90-page draft Paris agreement that contains options on key issues that cover the good, the bad and the kitchen sink," said Jaco du Toit, of the World Wildlife Fund.

"Negotiators will be working to streamline and consolidate some options and start negotiating contentious topics such as how to treat countries with different capabilities fairly in the agreement, and what the legal form of the agreement should be," he added.

Looking ahead, the Paris meeting will likely be just a moment in the long-term transformation the world needs, Morgan said.

"Hopefully it (the Paris agreement) will be the turning point that moves us toward phasing out greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by the middle of the century," Morgan said.

One possible outcome in Paris is a deal in which some elements are binding but not the emissions targets set by individual countries, the Associated Press reported. But Morgan said it's unlikely no deal would be reached.

"There is great momentum heading towards Paris," Morgan said. "The evidence base for action is strong — we are seeing escalating impacts and a growing number of scientific studies revealing what is at stake should countries fail to act."

The Bonn meeting, which began Monday, will continue through June 11.