What Are the Paris Climate Talks?

France will chair and host the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21/CMP11), from 30 November to 11 December 2015. The conference is crucial because the expected outcome is a new international agreement on climate change, applicable to all, to keep global warming below 2°C.

This is their proposed provisional timetable:

29 NOVEMBER: ADP OPENING DAY

At 17:00, the negotiations opened early by Ahmed Djoghlaf (Algeria) and Daniel Reifsnyder (United States), to “so as to ensure the best use of the very limited time available to ADP to finalize its work.”

DAY OF 30 NOVEMBER: HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT PHASE

At 10:00, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Laurent Fabius, were officially invested with the Presidency of the Conference of the Parties, before the political sequence with addresses by the 147 Heads of State and Government who have answered the invitation of the President of the French Republic, François Hollande, and Laurent Fabius.

WEEK OF 1-6 DECEMBER

TUESDAY, 1 TO FRIDAY, 4 DECEMBER: the representatives of the 196 parties negotiated the future agreement within the Ad Hoc Working Group on the ADP. The work will be carried out under the authority of the two ADP co-chairs.

In parallel, subsidiary bodies for implementation (SBI) and scientific and technological advice (SBSTA) continue their work on the more technical aspects (monitoring of the implementation of current climate policies, including in the framework of the Kyoto Protocol, etc.).

SATURDAY, 5 DECEMBER: closure of the work of the ADP, which submits a new text, resulting from the negotiations of this first week, to the French Presidency.

WEEK OF 6-11 DECEMBER

It is during this second week that France fully presides over COP21. The Environment or Foreign Affairs Ministers (or lead negotiators in their absence) of the 196 parties meet to negotiate the new text. The French Presidency then proposes to the 19- parties the terms for continuation of the work, following consultation with them and taking into account the results of the first week.

MONDAY, 7 and TUESDAY, 8 DECEMBER: Ministers’ speeches. In parallel, the 196 parties continue their work on the draft agreement.

WEDNESDAY, 9 DECEMBER: Conclusion of the negotiations in order to carry out legal and linguistic verifications of the agreement text in the 6 UN languages (Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish).

THURSDAY, 10 DECEMBER: Adoption of the decisions.

FRIDAY, 11 DECEMBER: Adoption of the Paris Agreement. The signing of this agreement is not planned for the same day, but for early 2016, during a ceremony organized by the United Nations Secretary-General.

What Can We Do as a Community to Reduce Our Carbon Footprint?

You can take steps to reduce your energy use, improve efficiency and help end global warming. The biggest cause of global warming is the carbon dioxide released when fossil fuels -- such as oil and coal -- are burned for energy. So when you save energy, you fight global warming and save money, too.

Here are some easy steps that you can take to help make a difference:

Limit Global Warming Pollution

Raise your voice. Talk to your District Chief, SRMT Chiefs, or even the US Congress. Congress needs to enact new laws that cap carbon emissions and require polluters pay for the global warming gases that they produce. What they do affects us all. Send a message to your elected officials, letting them know that you will hold them accountable for what they do, or fail to do, about global warming. Many environmental websites offer pre-written letter, with a few clicks of your keypad you will have put pressure on Congress by sending a letter.

Green Job and Clean Energy

Choose renewable energy. Pick a Green-e-certified energy supplier that generates at least half of its power from wind, solar energy and other clean sources. If you don’t have that option, look at your current electricity bill to see if you are able to support renewable energy in another way. For details, see NRDC’s guide to buying clean energy. The Akwesasne Housing Authority is doing amazing things with solar energy projects and programs. Check them out at; akwehsg.org

You can make up for your remaining carbon output by purchasing carbon offsets. Offsets represent clean power that you can add to the nation’s energy grid in place of power from fossil fuels. Not all offset companies are alike. Check the NDRC’s guide to carbon offsets for tips on how to choose an offset supplier.

Drive Smarter Cars

In Akwesasne, bigger is always better when it comes to a vehicle. So, not so. Choose an efficient vehicle: High-mileage cars such as hybrids and plug-in hybrids use less gas and save money. Over its lifetime, a 40-mpg car will save roughly $3,000 in fuel costs compared with a 20-mpg car. Compare fuel economy performance before you buy. The Ramada Inn in Cornwall offers TESLA electric recharging stations.

And Drive Smart

If all Americans kept their tires properly inflated, gasoline use nationwide would come down 2 percent. A tune-up could boost your miles per gallon anywhere from 4 to 40 percent, and a new air filter could get you 10 percent more miles per gallon. Drive less. It’s easy to say “Drive Less”, but admittedly hard to practice in the country. Choose alternatives to driving such as public transit, biking, walking and carpooling, and bundle your errands to make fewer trips During the summer you could ride a moped, seriously reducing your carbon footprint on your ride to work while wearing the coolest of helmets.

Green Homes and Buildings

Weatherize your home or apartment. Heating and cooling consume about 40 percent of energy in the home. Sealing drafts and making sure that your home has adequate insulation are two easy ways to become more energy-efficient. Learn how to take advantage of federal tax credits for energy-efficient home improvements.

Buy energy-efficient appliances. Look for the Energy Star label, which identifies the most efficient appliances. Learn more about investing in energy-efficient products.

Replace your light bulbs with compact fluorescent bulbs. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs. What’s more, CFLs lower your energy bills and keep a half-ton of carbon dioxide out of the air. Again, check with the Akwesasne Housing Authority on how you can make your home more energy efficient.

Eat Fresh, Local foods for a Healthy Environment and You

There has been an influx of organic food in supermarkets over the past several years. But of equal importance to consider is where that food is coming from. For example, how much of the produce in your supermarket is being transported halfway around the world? Check the stickers on those apples and peaches and you’ll see ” Produce of Chile”, “Mexico”, or “China”. Also important to note: how much of that food is actually in season? The transportation of food is a major contributor to greenhouse gases.

Easy ways for you to get low carbon food are:

Buying things that are actually in season.

Buying locally-grown fruits and vegetables at farmers markets.

You’ll massively reduce the carbon from your food if you follow the above advice. Plus, eating locally-grown, fresh foods is not only better for the planet, it’s healthier for you, too.

Keep Money in Your Pocket and Carbon Out of the Air

Globalized, capitalist society thrives on rampant consumerism. And it is this system that is helping to degrade the environment and contribute to global climate change. But you can take a jab at the consumerism machine by reducing your consumption. For example, you can do this by buying used clothing, joining a co-op, and participating in events like Buy Nothing Day. There are endless means by which you can learn to live more simply, and in turn, more lightly upon the earth. Live happily by simplifying your life. Consuming less will immediately reduce your carbon footprint. Big media would never tell you to “consume less” since consumerism is the very thing keeping our broken economy running. (About 70% of the US GDP is attributed to consumer spending) You can defy big media, shun consumerism, and in turn, help prevent global climate change and promote a simpler, happier lifestyle. Try it.

You have the power to prevent global warming through personal choice and action. If you want to take dramatic action, these are just a few of the things you can do. There are opportunities for change at every corner of daily life. Big problems require big change. Global warming is one such problem, and the change required to successfully deter future catastrophe demand our immediate attention.

Sources; Planetsave and NRDC.