Christiana Figueres described the efforts that are being made to strike an effective climate deal, and highlighted that this agreement will boost – and not slow down – economic growth. The head of the UN climate convention Christiana Figueres took stock of the current situation in view of the much-anticipated climate summit that will be held in Paris in December, where nearly 200 states are expected to reach an agreement on a global and binding deal to tackle climate change. The UN climate chief particularly stressed that – unlike what many have asserted – a global climate deal would not be a “silver bullet” and would not slow down economic growth, but, on the contrary, it would boost it, as it would wipe out greenhouse gas emissions. Figueres stated that a “framework agreement” that will form the foundation of long term commitments is now being developed by diplomats, but that it will take time to deliver, and its results “will be harvested over time”. She also maintained that the aim is to strike an “enabling and facilitative” deal rather than one focused on imposing sanctions, and that all countries – irrespective of their sizes – will have to contribute “in a transparent and measurable way”. Also, for the deal to be effective, more offers of financial and clean technology assistance to help developing countries shift away from fossil fuels will have to be made. States are expected to issue their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) to describe what levels of carbon cuts they can contribute ahead of the Paris summit, but so far only 38 countries – collectively representing only 30% of global emissions – have set out their plans. However, Figueres believes there will be “another wave” of submissions in June and during the summer, before the October 1 deadline, when the UN will start to review the offers. It is critical to come to an agreement as soon as possible if the world wants to avoid catastrophic consequences; in fact, last year a UN panel of researchers stated that the world has less than 30 years of emissions at current levels before an unbearable level of warming – more than 2C compared to pre-industrial levels – is reached. The gLAWcal Team POREEN project Thursday, 14 May 2015 (Source: RTCC)