For much of Saturday afternoon, I was fearful that there would be a last minute hitch and that the climate deal would be scuppered. The failure of Copenhagen lives long in the memory and we have all suffered from false expectations. Yet, the only surprise on Saturday was that there were no eleventh hour surprises. The Paris Agreement was supported by 196 countries and it promises a future free from catastrophic climate change.
The work leading up to the conference and the agreement itself is a triumph of multi-lateral diplomacy and should give everyone confidence that together we can act to solve the world's problems.
As our man in Paris, John Lanchbery reported (see here), there are, of course, some weaknesses - most notably that existing greenhouse gas reduction commitments would result in global temperature rises of 2.7 degree Centigrade above pre-industrial levels (see graphic below). But there are five year review clauses in place with a promise of ratcheting up commitments so that global temperature rises are within safe limits "well below 2 degrees". This is light years away from the appalling symbolism of the Copenhagen Accord in 2009 where an annex of country commitments was published and it was entirely blank.
World leaders have said they want economic development decoupled from climate pollution and have issued the clearest signal to everyone (especially businesses and investors) that our future prosperity will not rely on fossil fuels. But they have gone further "ensuring the integrity of all ecosystems, including oceans, and the protection of biodiversity" and agreeing......
...Article 5 the Agreement which stresses the need for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation and sustainable management of forests (REDD+). This should help to ensure that more money is available to conserve forests, especially tropical forests. This is very positive, because that’s where wildlife is.
This chimes with commitments in other UN Conventions (for Biological Diversity and Sustainable Development), which sets targets for the restoration of wildlife on land and at sea.
So now, the fine words need to be translated into action. Action which not only decarbonises the economy but also helps us adapt to the changing climate. At home, the first signs are good. I was delighted to read today that in her proposed review of flood resilience "to better protect the country from future flooding and increasingly extreme weather events", Environment Secretary, Liz Truss will not only look at existing models and defence schemes, but also at upstream catchment options to reduce future flooding (here).
Other tests of the UK Government's commitment will come thick and fast...
...this week at the EU Environment Council meeting, our Minister, Rory Stewart, has the opportunity to offer his support for the EU Nature Directives - it is difficult to see how "ecosystem integrity" let alone the manifesto commitment to restore biodiversity in a generation can be secured without these laws
...responding to the Committee on Climate Change recommendation for its fifth carbon budget to ensure greenhouse gas emissions decrease by 57% by 2032. The Government must legislate the level of the fifth carbon budget by June 2016.
...being clear how to invest in renewables with least ecological impact. We shall offer our thoughts on positive planning for renewables when we publish our new report on "Energy Futures" in the new year.
Rising to these challenges is what the international commitments require and what civil society, including RSPB supporters, demands.