The Heat discusses changes to climate policy at UN summit in Peru

The Heat

People attend a candlelight vigil organized by the Interfaith Council of Peru at a park in Lima, on November 30, 2014, just hours before the opening of Climate Change Conference hosted by the government of Peru. The 20th UN session of the Conference of the Parties on Climate Change and the 10th session of the Conference of the Parties, serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol, will be held from December 1st to 12th in Lima. AFP PHOTO / CRIS BOURONCLE

A new round of climate talks kicked off in Lima, Peru where representatives from more than 190 nations met to discuss new limits for greenhouse gases. Some environmentalists said it’s the most optimistic moment they have experienced during their entire career.

The work in Lima focused on preparing a draft agreement for a conference next year in Paris. The talks have gained momentum in the past two months with pledges from the world’s top carbon polluters, including China, the U.S. and the European Union, to limit their emissions over the next 10-15 years. On the eve of the summit, activists from the group Greenpeace projected a message onto the historic Machu Picchu site calling for the use of renewable energy.

“Greenpeace is calling on the world leaders to transfer the energy system away from coal and oil towards 100 percent renewable energy future by mid-century,” said Martin Kaiser head of international climate politics at Greenpeace.

Indigenous groups were also in Lima to call attention to environmental issues affecting their communities.

The Heat interviewed Nick Nuttall, head of communications and outreach for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

The Heat also interviewed Wu Changhua, the greater China director at the environmental nonprofit, The Climate Group.

Peru is home to more than 70 percent of the world’s tropical glaciers, located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. Although Latin America and the Caribbean contribute only about 12 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, they are vulnerable to climate change. India became the world’s third biggest emitter of carbon dioxide in 2013, pushing Russia into fourth place.

The Heat spoke to experts about the impact of climate change in developing nations:

* Chandra Bhushan, deputy director at the Center for Science and Environment, Indian think tank.
* David Wilk, a lead climate change specialist at the Inter-America Development Bank.
* Manish Bapna, executive vice president of the World Resources Institute.