The U.N. Climate Change Conference in Lima, Peru, closed after 30 hours of “overtime” with a consensus for a path forward for next year’s global climate change talks. The conference, formally known as the 20th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC (COP 20), ended with a document called the Lima Call for Climate Action, which charts a course toward COP 21 in Paris, where a new international agreement on how to address climate change globally will be sought.
In the Call for Action, the parties (i.e., countries) to COP 20 agreed on “elements for a draft negotiating text” for next year’s talks and ground rules for contributions to that agreement. According to the Call for Action, progress was made on “elevating adaptation onto the same level as curbing and cutting greenhouse gases,” by recognizing that National Adaptation Plans are important to helping nations become more resilient.
According to the BBC, the Call for Action agrees that in 2015, a universal agreement on how to address climate change will reflect "differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities" of each nation. In addition, developed countries will provide financial and other support to “vulnerable” developing nations. At COP 20, financial pledges to the Green Climate Fund, aimed at assisting developing nations address climate mitigation and adaptation within their borders, topped $10 billion. For additional reading, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) provides a summary of the outcomes of COP 20 and what lies ahead.