Netherlands wants binding climate change agreement at UN summit

The Kingdom of the Netherlands wants a broad and legally binding agreement in which the rapid reduction of emissions and adaptation to the effects of climate change are well balanced. This was the Netherlands stance in the final preparations for the UN Climate Summit which is to be held in Paris from November 30 till December 11. In a letter to the Tweede Kamer (Dutch Lower House of Parliament), the Dutch State Secretary for Infrastructure and the Environment, Sharon Dijksma, stated the long-term goal is to limit global warming to a maximum of two degrees Celsius, thus building a climate neutral world. Dijksma stated in her letter that the climate was the responsibility of all of us and the new agreement should be binding for all countries. In the letter she also called for collaboration between companies, regions, cities, and civil society regarding responsibility and contribution to capacity. The Netherlands is also calling for contraction of divisions between developed and developing countries, and wants a climate deal that helps the poorest bear the consequences of climate change. Major improvements from the Kyoto Agreement have been made, increasing participation from 37 to 150 countries, now accounting for 90 percent of worldwide emissions. Each of these countries has made a reduction in greenhouses gases in the form of an Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC).