UN unveils first draft of climate agreement ahead of Paris conference

PanARMENIAN.Net - The United Nations on Monday, October 5, released a first draft of the negotiating text for the major conference on climate taking place in Paris in December, the Associated Press reports.

Negotiators from 195 countries are to gather for a new session of talks Oct. 19-23 in Bonn, Germany.

A large number of proposals in the text are in parentheses, meaning they are still to be negotiated. The document notably includes a long-term goal for reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions, but details and deadline remain to be discussed.

The Paris conference on climate is aiming for an ambitious deal to keep the rise in worldwide temperatures since pre-industrial times below 2 degrees Celsius.

The text mentions that financing could be more than the $100 billion per year already promised by 2020, coming from both public and private sources.

The potential agreement would reflect "common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, in light of different national circumstances", the draft specifies.

The text also provide for a review of national climate targets in the future. Countries would be required to communicate their emissions goals every five years, a process seen as crucial to implementing an agreement.