COP24 climate summit – live: UN chief warns failure to agree would be ‘suicidal’ after ‘rogue nations’ block major scientific report

Follow the latest events from event heralded as 'Paris 2.0'

Sir David Attenborough at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Katowice: Climate change 'our greatest threat'

An old coal mine in Poland is the unlikely setting for the most important international climate change discussions in years.

COP24 comes after a succession of reports in which scientists have made it abundantly clear that current efforts to avoid global warming catastrophe are not sufficient.

Over the next two weeks leaders will try to establish a set of rules to follow as they implement the Paris climate agreement targets. They will also discuss ramping up ambitions, and who is going to pay for these changes.

Leaders are assembling at the International Congress Centre in Katowice, Poland, next door to the city’s Coal History Museum – an unfortunate reminder of the host nation’s continued reliance on this high-polluting fossil fuel.

A warning that carbon pollution is on track to reach unprecedented levels in 2018 has added even greater urgency to the talks, as NGOs warn that wealthy countries are not pulling their weight in the fight against climate change.

Here you can follow the latest news from the event and reactions from around the world.

Key Points

• Everything you need to know about the Paris climate agreement and the COP24 summit
• David Attenborough says civilisation will collapse if humanity doesn't take action
• WHO says cutting fossil fuels would save at least one million lives every year by cleaning up air
• Arnold Schwarzenegger says US leaders will fight to curb global warming despite Trump's opposition
• Concerns about host nation's continued reliance on dirty coal

[12 December 2018 11:32 · josh.gabbatiss]

The secretary-general of the United Nations Antonio Guterres has flown back to the talks in Poland to urge countries to reach an agreement, as some observers feared the meeting might end without a deal 

He opened the talks last week, telling leaders to take the threat of global warming seriously and calling it "the most important issue we face." 

But as the two-week meeting shifted from the technical to political phase, with ministers taking over negotiations, campaign groups warned of the risks of failure in Katowice. 

Harjeet Singh of ActionAid International said the main holdouts were the United States, Australia and Japan, while the European Union was "a mere spectator." 

The US, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have faced criticism for blocking efforts to acknowledge the importance of the IPCC’s latest landmark report about climate change.

Jean-Pascal Ypersele, a former deputy chair of the IPCC, said whether or not countries believe the conclusions of the report was irrelevant because the science was clear. 

"Nobody, even the so-called superpowers, can negotiate with the laws of physics," he said. 

[12 December 2018 16:39 · josh.gabbatiss]

Brought in at the start of Fiji's COP presidency in 2017, the "Talanoa Dialogue" is based on a traditional Pacific concept of solving people's differences.

It has involved evidence and stories about climate change being gathered from around the world, and will now be taken into consideration by attendees at COP24. The process is intended to monitor the progress of the Paris climate agreement, and to inform the commitments being made by each nation to cut carbon emissions.

The Talanoa Call for Action was released today by the Polish and Fijian COP Presidencies, with specific calls to action issued by the young climate champions, Timoci Naulusala from Fiji and Hania from Poland. 

In the Pacific tradition of Talanoa, the world came together this past year to share experiences and help make wise decisions to inspire a global response to the threat of a changing climate. People shared stories of the widespread devastation already inflicted on our communities by climate change, and the increasing risks for human and food security. They also shared stories of ambitious action already being taken all over the world in response to these threats.

[13 December 2018 12:08 · josh.gabbatiss]

[13 December 2018 17:12 · josh.gabbatiss]

The UK government will bid to host major international climate talks in the UK in 2020.

Speaking at the meeting in Katowice, Poland, energy minister Claire Perry said she had officially written to express the UK government's interest in hosting the talks in 2020.

It is expected the talks in 2020 will be key as countries must submit more ambitious plans to cut greenhouse gas emissions by that time, to curb rising temperatures and avoid the worst impacts of extreme weather, rising sea levels, damage to health and extinction of species.

Ms Perry's talk was marred by protesters from Extinction Rebellion who heckled the event, raising concerns about the government's continued commitment to fossil fuels and particularly fracking.

[14 December 2018 11:14 · josh.gabbatiss]

[14 December 2018 11:30 · josh.gabbatiss]

A draft text of a final agreement from COP24 has finally emerged - but it looks like the talks are dragging on into the weekend.

According to Associated Press:

Negotiators at the U.N. climate meeting in Poland are gathering to discuss the first comprehensive draft agreement to emerge after almost two weeks of talks. 

Ministers and senior officials from almost 200 countries were due to hold further meetings Friday before convening in plenary in the afternoon to address remaining differences. 

Among the key pitfalls to emerge overnight was the question of how to establish a functioning international market in carbon credits and whether some countries should get money for damage already caused by climate change. 

The meeting is meant to finalize the rulebook for the 2015 Paris climate agreement, provide assurances to poor nations on financial support for tackling global warming, and send a message that countries are committed to stepping up their efforts in the coming years. 

[14 December 2018 19:09 · josh.gabbatiss]