U N I T E D  N A T I O N S                                                                                                                                                                                                  N A T I O N S   U N I E S

THE SECRETARY-GENERAL

REMARKS AT CLOSING OF COP21

Paris, 12 December 2015

Mesdames, Messieurs,

All my congratulations.

The Paris Agreement on climate change is a monumental triumph for people and planet

I know I speak for everyone in this room in applauding COP21 President Laurent Fabius and UNFCCC Executive-Secretary Christiana Figueres for their outstanding stewardship of these negotiations.

In the face of an unprecedented challenge, you have demonstrated unprecedented leadership.

Climate change is the defining challenge of our time.

That is why I have made it one of the defining priorities of my tenure as Secretary-General.

Over the past nine years, I have spoken repeatedly with nearly every world leader.

I have visited the climate front lines, from the Arctic to Antarctica and to the Amazon, from the Sahel to the Aral Sea.

I have been to Pacific Islands that are sinking under the waves.

Most of all, I have listened to people – the young, the poor and the vulnerable, including indigenous peoples, from every corner of the globe.

They have demanded that world leaders act to safeguard their well-being and that of generations to come.

Here in Paris, we have heeded their voices – as was our duty.

Excellencies,

We have solid results on all key points.  

The agreement demonstrates solidarity.

It is ambitious, flexible, credible and durable.

All countries have agreed to hold global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius.

And recognizing the risk of grave consequences, you have further agreed to pursue efforts to limit temperature increase to 1.5 degrees.

This is especially important for the nations of Africa, small Island Developing States and Least Developed countries.

You have listened to the voices of the most vulnerable and recognized the importance of minimizing and addressing loss and damage.

One hundred and eighty-seven Parties have submitted their national plans, the INDCs.

I urge the remaining Parties to submit their plans as soon as possible.

You have rightly agreed that the current level of ambition is the floor, not the ceiling, and that every five years, beginning before 2020, you will regularly review what is needed in line with science.

The Paris Agreement ensures sufficient, balanced adaptation and mitigation support for developing countries, especially the poorest and most vulnerable.

Developed countries have agreed to lead in mobilizing finance and scale up technology support and capacity building.

Developing countries have assumed increasing responsibility to address climate change in line with their capabilities.

Governments have agreed to binding, robust, transparent rules of the road to ensure that all countries do what they have agreed across a range of issues.

Business leaders came to Paris in unprecedented numbers.

The Action Agenda, and the prior commitments made at last year’s Climate Summit in New York, show that many powerful climate solutions are already available, and many more are poised to come.

With these elements in place, markets now have the clear signal they need to unleash the full force of human ingenuity and scale up investments that will generate low-emissions, resilient growth.

What was once unthinkable has now become unstoppable.

 Excellencies,

When historians look back on this day, they will say that global cooperation to secure a future safe from climate change took a dramatic new turn here in Paris.

Today, we can look into the eyes of our children and grandchildren, and we can finally, after so many years of discussion and delay, tell them that we have joined hands to bequeath a more habitable world to them and to future generations.

We have an agreement. It is a good agreement. You should all be proud.

Now we must stay united — and bring the same spirit to the crucial test of implementation.

That work starts tomorrow.

For today, congratulations again on a job well done.

Let us work together, with renewed commitment, to make this a better world for all.

Thank you.

Merci.

Paris, 12 December 2015 –

An historic agreement to combat climate change and unleash actions and investment towards a low carbon, resilient and sustainable future was agreed by 195 nations in Paris today.
The Paris Agreement for the first time brings all nations into a common cause based on their historic, current and future responsibilities.
The universal agreement’s main aim is to keep a global temperature rise this century well below 2 degrees Celsius and to drive efforts to limit the temperature increase even further to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
The 1.5 degree Celsius limit is a significantly safer defense line against the worst impacts of a changing climate.
Additionally, the agreement aims to strengthen the ability to deal with the impacts of climate change.
To reach these ambitious and important goals, appropriate financial flows will be put in place, thus making stronger action by developing countries and the most vulnerable possible, in line with their own national objectives.
“The Paris Agreement allows each delegation and group of countries to go back home with their heads held high. Our collective effort is worth more than the sum of our individual effort. Our responsibility to history is immense” said Laurent Fabius, President of the COP 21 UN Climate change conference and French Foreign Minister.
The minister, his emotion showing as delegates started to rise to their feet, brought the final gavel down on the agreement to open and sustained acclamation across the plenary hall.
French President Francois Hollande told the assembled delegates: “You’ve done it, reached an ambitious agreement, a binding agreement, a universal agreement. Never will I be able to express more gratitude to a conference. You can be proud to stand before your children and grandchildren.”
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said: “We have entered a new era of global cooperation on one of the most complex issues ever to confront humanity. For the first time, every country in the world has pledged to curb emissions, strengthen resilience and join in common cause to take common climate action. This is a resounding success for multilateralism.”
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), said: “One planet, one chance to get it right and we did it in Paris. We have made history together. It is an agreement of conviction. It is an agreement of solidarity with the most vulnerable. It is an agreement of long-term vision, for we have to turn this agreement into an engine of safe growth.”
“Successive generations will, I am sure, mark the 12 December 2015 as a date when cooperation, vision, responsibility, a shared humanity and a care for our world took centre stage,” she said.
“I would like to acknowledge the determination, diplomacy and effort that the Government of France have injected into this remarkable moment and the g-Your data has been truncated.

http://web.unep.org/climatechange/cop21/historic-paris-agreement-on-climate-change-195-nations-set-path-keep-temperature-rise-well-below-2