Climate crunch to dominate Commonwealth summit

The 2015 Commonwealth Summit kicks off on Friday to a grand opening ceremony with Queen Elizabeth, followed by intense working sessions where world leaders will grapple with climate change. As the clock ticks to a UN climate conference in Paris starting Monday, leaders including France’s Francois Hollande, Britain’s David Cameron and the UN’s Ban Ki-moon will try to open the door to a landmark accord for taming greenhouse gases. “We look towards Paris and an agreement that will determine the survival of our species and all those who share this precious planet with us,” Britain’s Prince Charles said in a speech in Malta on Thursday, as leaders arrived on the windswept island from four continents. “We do not have the right to steal our children and grand-children’s inheritance. We do have a responsibility to act now… and I’m sure that the Commonwealth will play a critical and leading part in this endeavour,” the heir to the throne said. Born out of the British empire, the Commonwealth of Nations brings together around a quarter of the world’s countries and a third of its population. The 24th biennial summit is expected to focus on the issues of extremism and migration as well as the environment. Prime ministers attending include Canada’s new leader, Justin Trudeau, Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif and Pakalitha Mosisili from Lesotho. The hope is that by finding common ground in Malta, among countries which differ enormously in terms of culture, size, GDP and diplomatic muscle, the COP21 talks in Paris can break through a logjam of connected and highly contentious issues. Potential stumbling blocks in Paris abound, ranging from financing for climate-vulnerable countries to scrutiny of commitments to curb greenhouse gases and even the legal status of the planned accord. The last attempt to get a global climate deal, at the ill-tempered 2009 Copenhagen summit, foundered upon divisions between rich and poor nations.