'Trust But Verify' Should Be a Motto of Paris Climate Talks

The success of the COP21 talks will hinge on the creation of a transparency-and-review mechanism to ensure that countries are meeting their voluntary emissions-reduction targets.

The United States, like many other countries, has been participating in negotiations in the lead-up to the United Nations' conference on climate change in Paris. The goal is to craft a policy framework that is going to engage all countries in combating global warming and establish institutions that can continue to spur more ambitious efforts over time.

The United States has pledged to reduce its emissions 26%–28% below the 2005 level in 2025. This builds on its pledge at the 2009 Copenhagen conference to lower emissions by 17% below the 2005 level in 2020.

The US pledge, officially called the Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC), details the progress made to date: emissions are on a downward trajectory, but reductions need to accelerate in order to realize its 2025 pledge....

Continue reading: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/Science-Notebook/2015/1130/Commentary-Trust-but-verify-should-be-a-motto-of-Paris-climate-talks