Conférence climatique de Paris 2015 : que peut la diplomatie française ?

The climate issue doesn't seem to figure as a top priority on the agenda of the French government and diplomacy. Yet, it was the President, Francois Hollande, himself who suggested in September 2012 that the meeting, aiming to seal a new global agreement on climate change, should be held in Paris on December 2015. The U.S. however, has already submitted key proposals for the conference, and is the first to have done so. Everything is still up for negotiation. The broad lines of the agreement due to be signed in Paris are however already know: 1) no international binding agreement, but only the implementation of "national policies", 2) no member State commitment, but only "contributions" and 3) an end to the bifurcated approach (sic the American proposal) of the moribund Kyoto Protocol, where only developed countries were committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions with the result we know. This time round, voluntary contributions, of a diverse nature, are expected from the majority of countries, including those both emerging and developing. Unfortunately, however, the objectives already expected to be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions won't work miracles with regard to the stabilisation of emissions. Reaching a broadly acceptable compromise safeguarding solidarity with the most vulnerable countries and communities would require, at the very least, active diplomacy well ahead of December 2015.