Fractious climate change talks in Poland showed the limits of international action to limit global warming in a polarised world, putting the onus on individual governments, cities and communities to stop temperatures rising.

Nearly 200 countries at the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/katowice-climate-summit-three-key-outcomes-184439">United Nations talks in Katowice</a> in the coal mining region of Silesia saved the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement from disintegration on Saturday by agreeing with a package of guidelines for its implementation.

But it deferred rules on carbon credits a spur to business and lacked any firm commitment to strengthen countries' emissions cut targets by 2020 when the agreement comes into force.

As such it left the parties a long way from the Paris deal's goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, let alone the cap of 1.5C needed to avert more extreme weather, rising sea levels and the loss of plant and animal species.

The world is heading for a 3-5C rise in temperatures this century, the UN World Meteorological Organization has said.

The Paris Agreement is based on individual commitments and expectations for the Polish talks to produce much more than rules for how those would be measured had always been low: the unity built in Paris had been shattered by a wave of governments placing national agendas before collective action.

Only a handful of country leaders were present in Katowice and the UN&nbsp;Secretary-General had to fly back to the meeting to urge progress.

"Political will is missing," Alden Meyer, director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit science advocacy group said as the conference staggered towards a finish delayed for more than 24 hours by last-minute wrangling over parts of the text.

"But it provides the hooks for governments, cities, businesses, civil society etc to do the work to get (to the Paris Agreement goals)," he said.

For conference president Michal Kurtyka it was a job well done. "Mission accomplished," he wrote on Twitter. "Our children look back at our legacy and recognise that we took the right decisions at important junctures like the one we face today."

Scratching the surface

For nations already suffering from climate change the agreement, which did not make clear how pledged funding would be provided, was only just better than nothing. Simon Stiell, Environment Minister of Grenada in the Caribbean, told Reuters it "is barely scratching the surface of what we really require".

Investors said it would take more action at government level to persuade them to pump in the amount of money needed.

"Those countries ... who push ahead with ambitious, long-term climate policies will be the ones to reap the investment and economic advantages of doing so," said Stephanie Pfeifer, Chief Executive of Institutional Investors' Group on Climate Change, noting the low-carbon transition was already underway.

The United States, set to withdraw from the UN&nbsp;process at the behest of President Donald Trump, staged an event touting the benefits of burning fossil fuels, including coal, more efficiently, while back at home, Trump has termed the Paris deal "ridiculous".

A scientific report requested by the Paris signatories said the share of coal-fuelled power would have to be cut to under 2 per cent by 2050, along with big cuts to other fossil fuels, to stop temperatures rising more than 1.5C and causing devastating floods, storms, heat waves and drought.

The United States, as well as fellow oil producers Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait, refused to "welcome" the report, a term sought by countries seeking to focus minds on its findings.

The final statement merely welcomed its timely completion and invited parties to make use of the information it contained.

Yet the row over the report was far from the only one: China, India, Russia, Australia, Japan, Brazil and the European Union were all drawn into various rifts, although China won some praise for helping to overcome concern, especially from the United States, that it would sidestep any rules.

"I think they have come a long way in recognising they need to provide confidence," Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International, said of the Chinese negotiators.

Describing Washington as "out of touch", Morgan noted the rules agreed in Poland nevertheless bound all countries, including the United States until its planned withdrawal in 2020, an achievement in itself.

"But that doesn´t substitute for the need to build ambition," she said.

Choking coal

Poland, hosting its third UN climate conference, came in for criticism for its commitment to coal, the most polluting of fossil fuels.

The meeting's final statement merely "noted," Warsaw's call for a "just transition" allowing communities dependent on coal more time to adjust.

The appointment of Kurtyka, Poland's deputy environment minister, to preside over the talks appeased some campaigners angered by the government's previous choice, the former environment minister, Jan Szyszko.

Szyszko had expressed doubts that global warming is manmade in the past and increased logging in the ancient forest of Bialowieza, declared illegal by the European Union's top court.

However, Kurtyka's job was complicated by Poland's environment minister says he did not want discussion about raising ambition at the talks and Poland's president vowing not to let anyone "murder coal mining".

A focus on technicalities in the first week was interpreted by campaigners as a pretext to avoid discussions on pledging deeper emissions cuts. Kurtyka got countries to focus on the guidelines near the end of the second week, but there was no collective action to harmonise or improve disparate pledges.

"Each delegation has its own domestic interests ... Our role, like the presidency, is to find balance, which ensures reaching a compromise," Adam Guibourge-Czetwertynski, Poland's chief negotiator, said in the second week of talks.

Poland's ruling party, the nationalist-minded Law and Justice (PiS), wants to scale back the share of coal in electricity production from 80 per cent to 60 per cent by 2030.

But the production of hard coal is expected to be stable for decades, although 72 per cent of Poles think it should be gradually phased out to reduce emissions, according to a survey by state-controlled pollster CBOS in November.

Katowice, the heart of Poland's coal region, is among the most polluted cities in Europe because many people heat their homes by burning low-quality coal, which is the cheapest. Residents say they have no choice.

"No climate decisions, even the best ones, will change the content of our wallets," said Maria Ligeza, an 83-year-old Katowice citizen. "Without help, people will be still burning what they have."

Fractious climate change talks in Poland showed the limits of international action to limit global warming in a polarised world, putting the onus on individual governments, cities and communities to stop temperatures rising.

Fractious climate change talks in Poland showed the limits of international action to limit global warming in a polarised world, putting the onus on individual governments, cities and communities to stop temperatures rising. Nearly 200 countries at the United Nations talks in Katowice in the coal mining region of Silesia saved the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement from disintegration on Saturday by agreeing with a package of guidelines for its implementation. But it deferred rules on carbon credits a spur to business and lacked any firm commitment to strengthen countries' emissions cut targets by 2020 when the agreement comes into force. As such it left the parties a long way from the Paris deal's goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius, let alone the cap of 1.5C needed to avert more extreme weather, rising sea levels and the loss of plant and animal species. The world is heading for a 3-5C rise in temperatures this century, the UN World Meteorological Organization has said. The Paris Agreement is based on individual commitments and expectations for the Polish talks to produce much more than rules for how those would be measured had always been low: the unity built in Paris had been shattered by a wave of governments placing national agendas before collective action. Only a handful of country leaders were present in Katowice and the UN Secretary-General had to fly back to the meeting to urge progress. "Political will is missing," Alden Meyer, director at the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit science advocacy group said as the conference staggered towards a finish delayed for more than 24 hours by last-minute wrangling over parts of the text. "But it provides the hooks for governments, cities, businesses, civil society etc to do the work to get (to the Paris Agreement goals)," he said. For conference president Michal Kurtyka it was a job well done. "Mission accomplished," he wrote on Twitter. "Our children look back at our legacy and recognise that we took the right decisions at important junctures like the one we face today." Scratching the surface For nations already suffering from climate change the agreement, which did not make clear how pledged funding would be provided, was only just better than nothing. Simon Stiell, Environment Minister of Grenada in the Caribbean, told Reuters it "is barely scratching the surface of what we really require". Investors said it would take more action at government level to persuade them to pump in the amount of money needed. "Those countries ... who push ahead with ambitious, long-term climate policies will be the ones to reap the investment and economic advantages of doing so," said Stephanie Pfeifer, Chief Executive of Institutional Investors' Group on Climate Change, noting the low-carbon transition was already underway. The United States, set to withdraw from the UN process at the behest of President Donald Trump, staged an event touting the benefits of burning fossil fuels, including coal, more efficiently, while back at home, Trump has termed the Paris deal "ridiculous". A scientific report requested by the Paris signatories said the share of coal-fuelled power would have to be cut to under 2 per cent by 2050, along with big cuts to other fossil fuels, to stop temperatures rising more than 1.5C and causing devastating floods, storms, heat waves and drought. The United States, as well as fellow oil producers Saudi Arabia, Russia and Kuwait, refused to "welcome" the report, a term sought by countries seeking to focus minds on its findings. The final statement merely welcomed its timely completion and invited parties to make use of the information it contained. Yet the row over the report was far from the only one: China, India, Russia, Australia, Japan, Brazil and the European Union were all drawn into various rifts, although China won some praise for helping to overcome concern, especially from the United States, that it would sidestep any rules. "I think they have come a long way in recognising they need to provide confidence," Jennifer Morgan, executive director of Greenpeace International, said of the Chinese negotiators. Describing Washington as "out of touch", Morgan noted the rules agreed in Poland nevertheless bound all countries, including the United States until its planned withdrawal in 2020, an achievement in itself. "But that doesn´t substitute for the need to build ambition," she said. Choking coal Poland, hosting its third UN climate conference, came in for criticism for its commitment to coal, the most polluting of fossil fuels. The meeting's final statement merely "noted," Warsaw's call for a "just transition" allowing communities dependent on coal more time to adjust. The appointment of Kurtyka, Poland's deputy environment minister, to preside over the talks appeased some campaigners angered by the government's previous choice, the former environment minister, Jan Szyszko. Szyszko had expressed doubts that global warming is manmade in the past and increased logging in the ancient forest of Bialowieza, declared illegal by the European Union's top court. However, Kurtyka's job was complicated by Poland's environment minister says he did not want discussion about raising ambition at the talks and Poland's president vowing not to let anyone "murder coal mining". A focus on technicalities in the first week was interpreted by campaigners as a pretext to avoid discussions on pledging deeper emissions cuts. Kurtyka got countries to focus on the guidelines near the end of the second week, but there was no collective action to harmonise or improve disparate pledges. "Each delegation has its own domestic interests ... Our role, like the presidency, is to find balance, which ensures reaching a compromise," Adam Guibourge-Czetwertynski, Poland's chief negotiator, said in the second week of talks. Poland's ruling party, the nationalist-minded Law and Justice (PiS), wants to scale back the share of coal in electricity production from 80 per cent to 60 per cent by 2030. But the production of hard coal is expected to be stable for decades, although 72 per cent of Poles think it should be gradually phased out to reduce emissions, according to a survey by state-controlled pollster CBOS in November. Katowice, the heart of Poland's coal region, is among the most polluted cities in Europe because many people heat their homes by burning low-quality coal, which is the cheapest. Residents say they have no choice. "No climate decisions, even the best ones, will change the content of our wallets," said Maria Ligeza, an 83-year-old Katowice citizen. "Without help, people will be still burning what they have."

Climate talks pass baton in race to stop global warming

In <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/nations-reach-deal-to-bring-landmark-2015-paris-climate-treaty-to-life-184369">UN climate talks</a> ending Saturday in Katowice, Poland delivered a milestone rulebook for the Paris climate treaty but failed to dial up national efforts to slash carbon emissions.

The <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/paris-agreement-isnt-working-out-so-well-trump-tweets-after-protests-182481">195-nation pact</a> calls for capping the rise in Earth's temperature at "well under" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and 1.5C if possible.

Here are three key outcomes from the 13-day meeting:

&nbsp;Not ambitious enough?&nbsp;

After a sobering UN report in October showed the need for slashing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50 per cent by 2030 to cap global warming at 1.5C, the world and especially poor countries already reeling from climate-addled extreme weather looked to the UN talks for a sign that nations would ramp up voluntary carbon-cutting pledges.

Even if fulfilled, these promises will see temperatures rise more than 3C above pre-industrial levels, a recipe for global chaos, say scientists. On current trends, the increase would be higher still.&nbsp; &nbsp;

The binding decisions assiduously avoid a clear call for higher ambition in reducing greenhouse gas pollution before 2020, when the Paris Agreement becomes operational.&nbsp;

Parties to the 195-nation talks could not even agree to "welcome" the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on 1.5C, as urged by at-risk nations.

"What we've seen in Poland reveals a fundamental lack of understanding of our current crisis," said Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, leader of WWF's Climate and Energy Practice. "We need all countries to commit to raising climate ambition before 2020."

'Loss and damage'&nbsp;

The Paris Agreement guarantees smaller developing countries&nbsp;historically blameless for global warming $100 billion (88.5 billion euros) per year starting from 2020 to green their economies and cope with future climate impacts.&nbsp;

The rules also enjoin rich nations to boost support over the next two years, and provide hard data on where future financial flows will come from.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Climate-vulnerable nations were also hoping to get some visibility on what happens after 2025, when the $100-billion pledge expires, as well as on vaguely worded commitments to provide a separate stream of money&nbsp;under the heading "loss and damage"&nbsp;to help cope with climate impacts here and now.

The run-up to Katowice saw a new round of pledges, including 1.5 billion euros from Germany and 500 million euros from Norway for the Green Climate Fund. The new decisions also allay some of the concerns about the opaqueness of future financing though not after 2025.&nbsp;

"It's good that some of this predictability has been achieved," said Mohamed Adow, Climate Lead for Christian Aid. "But rich countries have been allowed to count almost anything and everything as climate finance, including commercial loans."

Global economy&nbsp;

Nations pressing for urgent action also sought language in the final "COP decisions" that would highlight the need to boost financing beyond climate-specific sectors such as the development of renewables or efficiency improvements in buildings.

Facing down the existential threat of climate change also means "making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development" across the entire global economy, the Paris Agreement says.

The complicated Katowice decisions will give cover both to nations that seek to expand the climate imperative as broadly as possible, and those who prefer a narrow interpretation, experts said.

"Markets play a very important role if we are going to be ambitious," Canadian environment minister Catherine McKenna told AFP. "We need to use the private sector, we need the billions to flow into trillions."&nbsp; &nbsp;

In UN climate talks ending Saturday in Katowice, Poland delivered a milestone rulebook for the Paris climate treaty but failed to dial up national efforts to slash carbon emissions.

In UN climate talks ending Saturday in Katowice, Poland delivered a milestone rulebook for the Paris climate treaty but failed to dial up national efforts to slash carbon emissions. The 195-nation pact calls for capping the rise in Earth's temperature at "well under" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and 1.5C if possible. Here are three key outcomes from the 13-day meeting: Not ambitious enough? After a sobering UN report in October showed the need for slashing greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 50 per cent by 2030 to cap global warming at 1.5C, the world and especially poor countries already reeling from climate-addled extreme weather looked to the UN talks for a sign that nations would ramp up voluntary carbon-cutting pledges. Even if fulfilled, these promises will see temperatures rise more than 3C above pre-industrial levels, a recipe for global chaos, say scientists. On current trends, the increase would be higher still. The binding decisions assiduously avoid a clear call for higher ambition in reducing greenhouse gas pollution before 2020, when the Paris Agreement becomes operational. Parties to the 195-nation talks could not even agree to "welcome" the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on 1.5C, as urged by at-risk nations. "What we've seen in Poland reveals a fundamental lack of understanding of our current crisis," said Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, leader of WWF's Climate and Energy Practice. "We need all countries to commit to raising climate ambition before 2020." 'Loss and damage' The Paris Agreement guarantees smaller developing countries historically blameless for global warming $100 billion (88.5 billion euros) per year starting from 2020 to green their economies and cope with future climate impacts. The rules also enjoin rich nations to boost support over the next two years, and provide hard data on where future financial flows will come from. Climate-vulnerable nations were also hoping to get some visibility on what happens after 2025, when the $100-billion pledge expires, as well as on vaguely worded commitments to provide a separate stream of money under the heading "loss and damage" to help cope with climate impacts here and now. The run-up to Katowice saw a new round of pledges, including 1.5 billion euros from Germany and 500 million euros from Norway for the Green Climate Fund. The new decisions also allay some of the concerns about the opaqueness of future financing though not after 2025. "It's good that some of this predictability has been achieved," said Mohamed Adow, Climate Lead for Christian Aid. "But rich countries have been allowed to count almost anything and everything as climate finance, including commercial loans." Global economy Nations pressing for urgent action also sought language in the final "COP decisions" that would highlight the need to boost financing beyond climate-specific sectors such as the development of renewables or efficiency improvements in buildings. Facing down the existential threat of climate change also means "making finance flows consistent with a pathway towards low greenhouse gas emissions and climate-resilient development" across the entire global economy, the Paris Agreement says. The complicated Katowice decisions will give cover both to nations that seek to expand the climate imperative as broadly as possible, and those who prefer a narrow interpretation, experts said. "Markets play a very important role if we are going to be ambitious," Canadian environment minister Catherine McKenna told AFP. "We need to use the private sector, we need the billions to flow into trillions."

Katowice climate summit: Three key outcomes

Delegates from nearly 200 nations on Sunday began two weeks of talks to tackle deep political divisions at the most important UN&nbsp;meeting on global warming since the landmark 2015 Paris deal to shift away from fossil fuels.

Expectations are low that negotiations in Katowice, at the heart of Poland's coal region, will fully resolve concerns laid out in reports over recent weeks on the severity of rising greenhouse gas emissions.

The political climate has also been transformed since the Paris agreement and the fragile global unity that brought about that accord has shattered.

"This is a very, very important conference," UN&nbsp;climate chief Patricia Espinosa told reporters. "It also takes place in a scenario where we have clear signals about the urgency with which we need to address the issues of climate change."

Four former presidents of UN&nbsp;talks, including Laurent Fabius of France, who led negotiations for the Paris agreement, issued a statement urging "decisive action".

"The world is at a crossroads and decisive action in the next two years will be crucial to tackle these urgent threats," they said in the joint statement.

However, political divisions were clear from the outset, with Brazil having withdrawn its offer to host the 2019 talks.

The United States, meanwhile, reiterated at the G20 summit in Argentina on Saturday its decision to withdraw from the Paris accord and a US&nbsp;commitment to all energy sources.

Year-end deadline

The other members of the group of industrialised nations - including the biggest polluter, China - reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Paris deal, taking into account their national circumstances.

The Katowice talks precede an end-of-year deadline to produce a "rule book" to flesh out the broad details that were agreed in Paris on limiting the rise in global temperatures to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius.

Delegates said that one of the trickiest issues could be monitoring emissions as the United States, which cannot quit the pact until 2020, uses the talks to press for a level of detail it perceives as useful to its foreign policy dealings.

Poland is hosting UN&nbsp;climate negotiations for a third time, but the nation remains hooked on coal, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel. Coal provides about 80 per cent of Poland's power and has been a major source of employment and national pride.

The younger generation is less emotionally attached to coal and is increasingly environmentally aware, though any phasing out of the fuel in Poland is likely to be slow.

The energy ministry said only last week that Poland plans to invest in new coal capacity while its long-term energy strategy assumes it will still obtain about 60 per cent of its power from coal in 2030.

Delegates from nearly 200 nations on Sunday began two weeks of talks to tackle deep political divisions at the most important UN meeting on global warming since the landmark 2015 Paris deal to shift away from fossil fuels.

Delegates from nearly 200 nations on Sunday began two weeks of talks to tackle deep political divisions at the most important UN meeting on global warming since the landmark 2015 Paris deal to shift away from fossil fuels. Expectations are low that negotiations in Katowice, at the heart of Poland's coal region, will fully resolve concerns laid out in reports over recent weeks on the severity of rising greenhouse gas emissions. The political climate has also been transformed since the Paris agreement and the fragile global unity that brought about that accord has shattered. "This is a very, very important conference," UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa told reporters. "It also takes place in a scenario where we have clear signals about the urgency with which we need to address the issues of climate change." Four former presidents of UN talks, including Laurent Fabius of France, who led negotiations for the Paris agreement, issued a statement urging "decisive action". "The world is at a crossroads and decisive action in the next two years will be crucial to tackle these urgent threats," they said in the joint statement. However, political divisions were clear from the outset, with Brazil having withdrawn its offer to host the 2019 talks. The United States, meanwhile, reiterated at the G20 summit in Argentina on Saturday its decision to withdraw from the Paris accord and a US commitment to all energy sources. Year-end deadline The other members of the group of industrialised nations - including the biggest polluter, China - reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Paris deal, taking into account their national circumstances. The Katowice talks precede an end-of-year deadline to produce a "rule book" to flesh out the broad details that were agreed in Paris on limiting the rise in global temperatures to between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius. Delegates said that one of the trickiest issues could be monitoring emissions as the United States, which cannot quit the pact until 2020, uses the talks to press for a level of detail it perceives as useful to its foreign policy dealings. Poland is hosting UN climate negotiations for a third time, but the nation remains hooked on coal, the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel. Coal provides about 80 per cent of Poland's power and has been a major source of employment and national pride. The younger generation is less emotionally attached to coal and is increasingly environmentally aware, though any phasing out of the fuel in Poland is likely to be slow. The energy ministry said only last week that Poland plans to invest in new coal capacity while its long-term energy strategy assumes it will still obtain about 60 per cent of its power from coal in 2030.

Emphasis on urgency as climate talks begin in Polish coal city Katowice

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