Broadly, Washington argued that scientists had downplayed the scale of the challenge to limiting global warming to 1.5C – the lower target of the Paris Agreement. At the same time, the US warned, measures to tackle global warming must not interfere with the falling rate of poverty worldwide. Stop climate change, but not developmentOne theme the US returned to repeatedly was the “outsized focus” placed on sustainable development by the report authors, which it said went beyond their mandate. “While the challenge ahead in addressing the impacts of climate change is immense, so too are the opportunities,”said the Ethiopian diplomat. “Aggressive” near-term cuts in more potent greenhouse gases, including methane, black carbon and hydrofluorocarbons, could also moderate global warming, it said.

Source: Ethiopian News October 02, 2018 17:51 UTC