COP21 Deal Contradicts Existing UN Climate Convention

Chee Yoke Ling, a legal adviser to international organization said that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) put the onus on developed countries to provide additional financing for climate action, while in the Paris agreement all the countries have shared responsibilities in this area.

PARIS (Sputnik) Daria Chernyshova — The new binding climate agreement that is expected to be signed in Paris at the 21st UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) includes new obligations, which contradict the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), a legal adviser to the Third World Network non-profit international organization told Sputnik on Friday.

UNFCCC is an international environment agreement, which came into effect in 1994. It aims to stabilize carbon emissions, however, it is non-binding.

"What we are seeing here is that they [developed countries] are trying to rewrite the Convention [UNFCCC]… when we say rewriting the Convention, it means that in the Paris agreement the United States and other developed countries are trying to put in new obligations… that are contradictory to what is in the Convention," Chee Yoke Ling said on the sidelines of COP21.

She added that the UNFCCC put the onus on developed countries to provide additional financing for climate action, while in the Paris agreement all the countries have shared responsibilities in this area.

The UN climate summit, which started in Paris on November 30, is a meeting of the Kyoto Protocol parties. Attended by representatives from 195 countries, it is anticipated that the summit will result in the signing of a legally binding agreement.