C'th wants legally-binding COP21 result

The Commonwealth has pledged itself towards an "ambitious" and legally-binding outcome from the world climate change summit, saying it was "deeply concerned" about the disproportionate threat to its most vulnerable members.

Leaders from the 53-country family, which represents around a third of the world's population, on Saturday came up with a "message of Commonwealth ambition and determination" for the COP21 talks in Paris, which kick off on Monday.
"We are committed to working towards an ambitious, equitable, inclusive, balanced, rules-based and durable outcome of COP21 that includes a legally-binding agreement," they said in a Statement on Climate Action.
"Such an outcome, joined and implemented by all parties, should put the global community on track towards low-emission and climate-resilient societies and economies."
Leaders at the organisation's biennial summit in Malta agreed the statement following a day of talks among themselves alone in a mediaeval fortress.
Because its membership includes industrialised G7 powers like Britain and Canada, emerging giants like India and tiny island microstates such as the Maldives, agreement in the Commonwealth has historically boded well for deals being struck beyond its bounds.
Among the few things concluded at the flop 2009 Copenhagen global climate change summit were things agreed beforehand by the Commonwealth.