World leaders pledge climate rescue, but fault lines emerge

World

World leaders pledge climate rescue, but fault lines emerge

World leaders vowed Monday to save mankind from catastrophic climate change as a historic summit that opened with the “hope of all of humanity” laid on their shoulders, but fault lines quickly emerged. The United Nations has hosted annual conferences to address global warming since 1995, but its efforts have stumbled on divisions between rich and poor. Many poor nations insist rich countries bear the most responsibility for tackling the problem as they have burned the most fossil fuels since the Industrial Revolution on their way to prosperity. But the United States and other developed nations argue more must be done by emerging giants.

Underscoring the difficulties ahead in Paris, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi argued that his nation needed to continue burning cheap and plentiful coal to rise out of poverty, while developed countries should make deeper and faster cuts in their own emissions. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe lashed out at “miserly” developed nations that wanted to “burden us with cleaning up the mess they themselves have created." Stumbling blocks in Paris include providing finance for climate vulnerable and poor countries, and transferring renewable technologies to developing nations.