It is now over a month since the 20th Conference of the Parties (COP) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) which was held in Lima, Peru. There are mixed feelings and opinions about the success or otherwise of the Conference. The significance that the global community attached to the Lima conference even before it  was held, arose from the fact that this COP was supposed to pave the way and provide a framework—and in fact an approved draft—for reaching an agreement in the 21st COP which is to take place in Paris. Some feel that Lima has not really delivered what was expected of that meeting, but many others feel that this was about the best that could have been done. There are some features of the discussion, as well as the final agreement that came from that Conference entitled “Lima call for Climate Action”, which must be seen as a positive development. Lima was after all the 20th Conference of the Parties and to have expected dramatic achievement in this particular meeting, when 19 others have resulted in less than  adequate success, would constitute an unrealistic expectation.

One of the major observations that most participants, and even the media highlighted, was the fact that most delegations which participated were generally in favour of arriving at a positive resolution of the negotiations, which in the past was not a uniform sentiment, and was seen as much too complex and diverse. The other feature which was noticeable was the frequent and widespread reference to the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). It appears that most delegates had accepted and absorbed one major message that came out from the AR5, namely, action had to be taken early and in large measure to be able to ensure that temperature increase by the end of the century will not exceed 2oC. They referred extensively to the assessment with numbers and numerous facts to highlight this major inference from the AR5.

It is essential that between now and Paris, the global community remains engaged, and the two countries responsible for hosting COP20 and COP21, namely Peru and France, respectively, continue with their coordinated efforts such that the mildly positive momentum that exists today can actually be enhanced. In an ultimate analysis, it is the robust and forthright assessment contained in the AR5 which must determine the completion and the content of an agreement in Paris. It is science that must be the driver of policy in the form of an agreement in Paris.