Global climate talks begin in Germany with Fiji at the helm

Environmental groups staged protests in Bonn to highlight Germany’s use of fossil fuels.

November 06, 2017 02:22 pm | Updated 02:22 pm IST - BONN, Germany

 Anti-coal demonstrators march near the surface mining Hambach, near Kerpen, Germany a day ahead of the opening of the UN Climate Summit in Bonn.

Anti-coal demonstrators march near the surface mining Hambach, near Kerpen, Germany a day ahead of the opening of the UN Climate Summit in Bonn.

Diplomats and activists have gathered in Germany for two-week talks on implementing the Paris agreement to fight climate change.

Environmental groups staged protests in the western city of Bonn and at a nearby coal mine ahead of the meeting to highlight Germany’s continued use of heavily polluting fossil fuels.

The 23rd conference of the parties, or COP23, will be opened on Monday by Fiji’s Prime Minister Voreqe ‘Frank’ Bainimarama. The Pacific island nation is already suffering the impacts of global warming.

Negotiators will focus on thrashing out some of the technical details of the 2015 Paris accord, which aims to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

While U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed skepticism, a recent U.S. government report concluded there’s strong evidence that man-made climate change is taking place.

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