The 19th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (CoP 19), which began on Monday in Poland, marks a crucial milestone towards negotiating an effective global warming treaty. At CoP 19, the fault lines remain the same: industrialised countries would like to see a significant cut in global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), while developing nations are prepared to reduce their carbon footprint only with financial and technical assistance from the West. Negotiators have given themselves two years to connect the dots on a comprehensive agreement when they meet in Paris in 2015. Predictably, this deadline has proven tough to meet. Most countries agree that it would be unrealistic to have the treaty prescribe the quantum of emission cuts.
Read more at The Hindu: http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/a-crucial-milestone/article5344195.ece?homepage=true