Syria and Nicaragua have reversed their 2015 decisions not to join the landmark climate accord. With the US saying it wants to withdraw, Washington is set to cut a lonely figure on the world stage in the next few years.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/Y. Ozturk
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The US ridiculed Syria for joining the 2015 Paris climate agreement on Tuesday, hours after Syrian representatives announced the country's decision at UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany.
"I find it ironic that the government of Syria, OK, would say that it wants to be involved, and that it cares so much about climate and things like CO2 gas," US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said.
Syrian Deputy Environment Minister Wadah Katmawi had told delegates from over 200 countries in Bonn on Tuesday that his government would be the 197th country to join the 2015 accord.
The war-torn Middle Eastern country, along with Nicaragua, had opted against signing the agreement in Paris in December 2015. Nicaragua reversed that decision in October.
Thousands of participants gathered in Bonn for two weeks to develop a "rule book" for implementing the Paris Agreement. Here, civil society representatives expressed themselves in their own words.
Image: enb@iisd.org
Seeking a gender-responsive approach
"We want women's perspectives from every single part of the world to be taken into account. I would love to see more participation of civil society and to see the private sector as a private sector, not as a civil society actor."
- Daniela Pedraza, from the Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO)
Image: enb@iisd.org
Getting the funding to flow
"We still miss a commitment for action. We know what we need to do, what technologies need to be used and how to progress - but the funding is not flowing." - Maryke van Staden of ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
Image: ICLEI
Many years' work
"The Paris agreement was a big step, but it takes a lot of years to get there. What we hope is that at the next COP, there will be good progress on the details."
- Gareth Phillips, climate change and green growth officer at the African Development Bank Group
Image: Gareth Phillips
Engaging youth from the Global South
"Young people generally have real inputs in the meetings here in Bonn - and they are valued by negotiators. Obviously, young people are involved in delivering information about education. We also have a very active working group this year focusing on oceans, agriculture, health, mitigation."
- Joanna Read, on the international team at the UK Youth Climate Coalition
Image: Rene Kieselhorst
More ambition needed
"People feared that Donald Trump could disrupt these negotiations - but things are moving on, which is really important and good news. The crucial part is getting countries to commit to more ambitious promises to protect the climate. What we see is that change is happening. Despite the American election and Trump, the world is moving towards renewables."
- Andreas Sieber of Climate Tracker
Image: Chloe Mikolajczak
Implementation is also personal
"We could all be part of ending the climate crisis. Everyone was excited when the Paris Agreement came out - now, it is about implementation. People need to see that the UN and governments are not going to end the crisis. Daily taken individual actions are actually going to end the crisis - not the legislation, diplomacy and agreements."
- Laughlin Artz, executive director of 2020 or Bust
But Washington can only submit a withdrawal request three years after the deal entered into force on November 4, 2016.
If the US does pull out, it will be the only country not party to a deal designed to limit worldwide global warming emissions to under 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit).
Nauert said on Tuesday that a US delegation would travel to Bonn next week, but strongly reiterated the US' intention to back out of the agreement and seek a "more favorable deal."
"If we can get a more favorable deal for American businesses, American workers and taxpayers, then we will look at that. But we continue to go forward with the plan of pulling out."
