COP21: A shaky start to negotiations

Details: Category: Blog; Created on Tuesday, 01 December 2015 12:39

World leaders made a grand display of impotence at the opening of the COP21 in Paris on Monday (30 November). The ambitions of the big emitters remain as low as ever. EurActiv France reports.

After a morning orchestrated down to the last second, the organisers of the COP21 had a world of trouble getting a photo of the 150 attending heads of state and government, just before midday.

Asked to bring an entourage to the Paris conference, world leaders overran their allotted time slot for the photo shoot session, some by talking to their advisors, others coming and going with members of their team at crucial moments. France just about managed to place key ministers alongside President François Hollande in the official photograph.

The photo shoot chaos was an apt symbol of the difficulties lying ahead when the 196 countries get their heads down to thrash out a common agreement.

The climate negotiations that opened in Paris yesterday (30 November) "will not be a peaceful path", said Tim Gore from Oxfam. They "could even get violent", he added.