Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Wednesday 8 november 2017

Fiji calls for urgency in talks to implement climate accord

By GEIR MOULSON and declared.
DOROTHEE THIESING In a brief statement toward
Associated Press the end of the opening ses-
BONN, Germany (AP) — Fi- sion Monday, a senior U.S.
ji's prime minister called for diplomat told delegates
a sense of urgency in the that Washington's posi-
fight against global warm- tion hadn't changed since
ing Monday, telling nego- Trump's announcement in
tiators "we must not fail our June.
people," as he opened two But Trigg Talley, the U.S.
weeks of talks on imple- deputy special envoy for
menting the Paris accord climate change, said the
on combating climate United States will "continue
change, which is already to participate in interna-
affecting his Pacific island tional climate change ne-
nation. gotiations and meetings,
While diplomats and ac- including ongoing negotia-
tivists gathered in Bonn, tions related to guidance
the U.N. weather agency for implementing the Paris
said 2017 is set to become agreement."
the hottest year on record Delegates make pictures in front of a photo of an island at the COP 23 Fiji UN Climate Change The meeting began with
aside from those impacted Conference in Bonn, Germany, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017. schoolchildren chanting
by the El Nino phenom- Associated Press "Save the World" process-
enon. technical details of the "from one of the most cli- marama said, adding that ing into the conference
The talks in Germany are Paris accord, which aims mate-vulnerable regions on means to "meet our com- hall and a traditional Fijian
the first major global cli- to limit global warming to earth," underlining "our col- mitments in full, not back welcoming ceremony.
mate conference since 1.5 degrees Celsius. While lective plea for the world to away from them." The U.N.'s World Meteoro-
President Donald Trump Trump has expressed skep- maintain the course we set He didn't refer directly to logical Organization said
announced that the U.S. ticism, a recent U.S. gov- in Paris." the Trump administration's this year is already on track
will pull out of the 2015 Paris ernment report concluded "The need for urgency is ob- position, but appeared to to be one of the three hot-
accord unless he can se- there is strong evidence vious," he said. "Our world is play off Trump's "America test years of all time, after
cure a better deal, and the that man-made climate in distress from the extreme first" slogan. 2015 and 2016, which were
first time that a small island change is taking place. weather events caused by "The only way for every both affected by a pow-
nation is chairing such a Fiji Prime Minister Voreqe climate change." nation to put itself first is to erful El Nino — a weather
conference. 'Frank' Bainimarama, the "We must not fail our peo- lock arms with all other na- phenomenon that can
Negotiators will focus on Bonn conference's chair- ple" and must make the tions and move forward contribute to higher tem-
thrashing out some of the man, offered greetings Paris accord work, Baini- together," the Fijian leader peratures. q
UN weather agency: 2017 set to be among top 3 hottest years

By JAMEY KEATEN temperature. year.
Associated Press The warning was timed for It said the global mean
GENEVA (AP) — The U.N.'s Monday's start of the latest temperature from Janu-
weather and climate U.N. climate change con- ary to September this year
agency says 2017 is set to ference, hosted this year was about a half-degree
become the hottest year by Bonn, Germany. Some Celsius warmer than the
on record aside from those 25,000 scientists, envoys, 1981-2010 average, which
impacted by the El Nino lobbyists and environmen- was estimated to be 14.31
phenomenon. tal activists have descend- degrees Celsius (57.76 de-
The World Meteorological ed on the city for two week grees Fahrenheit).
Organization says this year of trying to figure out how The five-year average tem-
is already on track to be to turn the goals of the 2015 perature from 2013 to 2017
one of the three hottest Paris climate change ac- is more than 1 degree Cel-
years of all time, after 2015 cord into reality. sius higher than that during
and 2016, which were both WMO says key indicators of the pre-industrial period.
affected by a powerful climate change — such as WMO says 2017 has been The sun rises over Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017.
El Nino effect, which can rising carbon-dioxide con- marked by higher-than- The World Climate Conference with 25 000 people participating
contribute to higher tem- centrations in the atmo- average rainfall in places starts on Monday in Bonn, Germany
peratures. sphere, rising sea levels and like western China, south- Associated Press
Last year set a record for the acidification of oceans ern South America and the has also been marked by erage areas for Arctic sea
the Earth's average global — "continue unabated" this contiguous United States. It lower-than-average cov- ice.q