LE BOURGET, France — The United Nations secretary-general called for a clean energy revolution to avoid a “climate catastrophe” as talks on a global warming pact entered their final week Monday with crunch issues on money and burden-sharing yet to be resolved.
One of them, however, appeared to be untangling as the European Union softened its insistence that countries’ targets to limit carbon pollution need to be legally binding, something U.S. negotiators reject because of opposition in the Republican-controlled Congress.
“We need the United States on board and we have to find a solution,” EU Climate Commissioner Miguel Arias Canete told reporters on the sidelines of the conference. “We understand the concerns they have because of the political situation they have in the Congress.”
Many Republicans question whether climate change is happening and oppose emissions limits out of concern that it would hurt U.S. industry and jobs.
Upon arrival in France, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said that even without binding targets the deal could change the way world business thinks about energy.
“I have absolute confidence in the ability of capital to move where the signal of the marketplace says ‘go’ after Paris,” he said.
Foreign and environment ministers joined the talks after lower-level negotiators who met last week delivered a draft agreement with multiple options left open.
Warning that “the clock is ticking toward climate catastrophe,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told ministers the world expects more from them than “half-measures.”
“Your work here this week can help eradicate poverty, spark a clean energy revolution and provide jobs, opportunities and hope for tomorrow,” he said.
Touching on the sensitive issue of who should do what, Ban said wealthy nations must agree to lead, while “developing countries need to assume increasing responsibility in line with their capabilities.”
The Paris conference is the 21st time world governments have met to seek a joint solution to climate change — and is aiming at the most ambitious, long-lasting accord yet.
