Paris climate change conference

網址:http://time.com/4123568/paris-climate-conference-preview/

Over 40,000 people are meeting in Paris for a historic conference on climate change

   More than 100 heads of government and 40,000 other attendees are meeting on Nov. 30 for the launch of the two-week United Nations conference on climate change. Negotiators expect the gathering, formally known as the 21st Conference of Parties (COP 21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), to yield the most significant international agreement yet to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, and slow the effect of climate change. But the negotiations are likely to be contentious as developed nations wrestle with developing ones in the effort to divide the global bill over global warming.

  

   Leaders of past climate summits tried to build top-down climate agreements in which countries would agree to broad guidelines to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. Treaties borne out of that approach—like the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which required developed countries to commit to binding greenhouse gas reduction targets—gave governments little flexibility in addressing climate change. Some countries, like the United States, opted not to participate in the agreement. Others, like Canada, ratified it, but ultimately ignored its provisions. Climate advocates set a 2009 conference in Denmark as an opportunity to achieve a comprehensive agreement that would actually lead to a reduction in emissions. But the conference was poorly organized and China and other countries refused to cooperate. In the end, the negotiations fell apart and the resulting Copenhagen Accord fell flat.

Structure of the lead:

WHO: heads of governments

WHAT:  climate change

WHEN: November.30.

WHERE: Paris

WHY:  global warming

HOW:tried to build top-down climate agreements 

Keywords:

launch(v.)開辦

yield(v.)同意

contentious(a,)愛爭論的

wrestle(v.)努力解決

summit(n.)高級會議

emission(n.)發出

flexibility(n.)靈活性的

opt(v.)選擇

ratify(v.)批准

ultimately(adv.)最後的

provision(n.)條款