The U.N. climate summit, known as COP 19 begins in Warsaw, Poland

Post date: Nov 19, 2013 5:34:38 PM

Tuesday: November 19. 2013.

Officially, it’s the 19th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, or UNFCCC. The high-level segment of the talks is beginning today with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon set to address the summit.

The talks are occurring as global carbon dioxide emissions from burning fossil fuels have reached a record high. According to the Global Carbon Project, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions rose 2.2 percent last year. Since 1990, when the Kyoto Protocol was signed, carbon dioxide emissions have soared 61 percent. The United States is responsible for 1/4 of the global carbon emissions.

Last week’s massive typhoon in the Philippines has cast a cloud over the summit. The official death toll from the typhoon has risen to over 4,000, but the actual number is believed to be significantly higher, with many villages and towns not even able to be reached at this point.