Paris Climate Conference - Statement by M. Laurent Fabius, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, President of the Paris Climate Conference (Paris, 30/10/2015)

The Climate Convention Secretariat has today presented its Synthesis Report on the effect of the national contributions [INDCs] published before 1 October by 146 countries ahead of the Paris conference. I urge all countries to publish theirs before the beginning of the conference.

The report shows that the national contributions enable us to change the situation and that they keep us from the worst-case scenario - i.e. warming of 4ºC to 5ºC or more. It confirms that it’s possible to achieve a trajectory where warming is kept below 1.5ºC or 2ºC by the end of the century, but this means additional efforts over time.

Some estimates put us on a trajectory of a 2.7º-3ºC increase by the end of the century. This confirms the importance of achieving an agreement at COP21 in Paris which sets the rules enabling us periodically to revise national contributions upwards.

In addition to greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets, the contributions include elements on ambitious sectorial policies (the development of renewable energy, energy efficiency etc.). This process has enabled us to genuinely decompartmentalize the issue of climate in many countries, particularly by involving civil society in the preparatory discussions.

The pre-COP meeting I will be hosting in Paris from 8 to 10 November - which will bring together nearly 80 ministers to discuss all the major elements of the agreement - should enable us to make progress on the central issues of what our ambition should be and the long-term target.

The national contributions process is a first in the history of climate negotiations. It’s a solid basis for the success essential in Paris./.