High Ambition Coalition Calls On IPCC Report Inclusion In Katowice Climate Agreement

The High Ambition Coalition, a group of developed and developing countries sharing the highest level of ambition in the international climate talks, seeks an increase of ambition from COP24 and the inclusion of the IPCC report in the Katowice finalized agreement, David Paul, the Marshall Islands environment minister, said at a High Ambition Coalition press conference at COP24 on Friday.

KATOWICE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th December, 2018) The High Ambition Coalition, a group of developed and developing countries sharing the highest level of ambition in the international climate talks, seeks an increase of ambition from COP24 and the inclusion of the IPCC report in the Katowice finalized agreement, David Paul, the Marshall Islands environment minister, said at a High Ambition Coalition press conference at COP24 on Friday.

The 24th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP24) is taking place on December 2-14 in the Polish city of Katowice. The main goal of the conference participants is to discuss ways of implementing the 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.

"We are here to fight for the spirit of the Paris agreement. We are here to respond to the urgent message of the Paris agreement ... We need three things from this COP. One, is the IPCC special report must be front and center coming out of this COP and guide the future works," Paul said.

The report in question, released in October, warned that the world had to take urgent action to keep global warming to 1.

5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit), stressing that it would help decrease risks of droughts, floods and other extreme weather conditions.

The report also outlined how limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius would result in a reduction in the net decrease of food availability and crop yields. Furthermore, if the 1.5-degree Celsius target is exceeded, the adverse effects on the food sector of global warming could exacerbate existing hazards to the global population, as well as create new ones.

"There must be a clear signal that there will be an increase of ambition coming out of this COP ... We need a rulebook that will fully implement all aspects of the Paris agreement and lead to ambition," Paul added.

The Paris climate deal, created within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, went into force on November 4, 2016. It has been ratified by 184 of the 197 parties to the accord. The deal aims to keep the increase in average global temperature at below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels by means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.