Posted on December, 08 2014

LIMA, Peru – WWF today issued the following statement from Tasneem Essop, WWF's Head of Delegation to the UNFCCC, on the latest draft negotiating text released today at the UN climate talks in Lima:
 
“The clock is ticking toward the potentially contentious political segment of the UN climate talks here in Lima. Now we need delegates to really start knuckling down and negotiate in earnest so we avoid political pitfalls later in the week. This means that they would need to resolve the issue of whether they will use the revised co-chair's text as the basis for these negotiations.
 
“The current negotiating text on the table covers all the right elements. The challenge, however, is that these elements are not handled in a balanced manner, with some key issues like finance being dealt with less comprehensively than mitigation. 
 
“We were relieved to see elements addressing proposals to address the critical pre-2020 emissions gap in the negotiating text. But the current text version has lost most references to the science and the emissions gap. It's the weakest where it needs to be the strongest.
 
"It needs to be strengthened, for example, by giving concrete guidance to UNFCCC mechanisms like the Green Climate Fund and the Technology Mechanism, to support the implementation of the identified actions before 2020.  It is critical that we address the widening emissions gap before the Paris deal comes into force. Our climate does not abide by political deadlines.
 
"This is a make or break moment for the delegates – it’s now up to them to move this process forward."