Pathos on Climate Change Is Heating Up
Here’s a story in the Fiji Times, in which the Prime Minister of this Pacific Island nation, Voreqe Bainimarama, speaking on his acceptance of the presidency of COP 23 (November 2017). From the article:
“As the region of the world that is destined to bear the worst brunt of the effects of climate change, we have been given a crucial platform to put our case,” he said.
“As president of COP 23, we will use this platform to continue to press for deeper cuts in carbon emissions to reduce global warming even further. And to counter the rising sea levels and extreme weather events that threaten the very existence of some nations.
“We will also do everything we can to lobby the industrial countries who are responsible for these emissions to allocate adequate funding, in the form of grants, to enable us to build our resilience and adapt to the terrifying new era that awaits us.”
Mr Bainimarama said the Pacific region also looked to America for its leadership, engagement and assistance on the issue of climate change.
“I renew my offer to President-elect Trump to come to Fiji to see the effects of climate change for himself. And to meet Pacific Island leaders face-to-face in Fiji to discuss the crisis we are all facing, along with other low-lying areas of the world including parts of America.
“As the second biggest carbon emitter on earth, the US must take responsibility for contributing to our collective response to this crisis and show leadership at this critical time.”
It’s hard to find words to describe how truly pathetic this is. The world’s people, many living in regions that are soon to be under water from sea-level rise due to the melting icecaps, are already begging the president-elect of the U.S., the only world leader who does not believe in climate change, to do some reading, change his mind, and help to mitigate the problem before it’s too late.
I’d love to speculate something different, but it seems fairly clear that Trump means what he says about climate change, lifting all U.S. restrictions on energy, opening up huge regions to coal mining and oil/gas exploration, building pipelines, removing the MPG standards on cars and trucks, withdrawing from the Paris Accord, cancelling all federal government investment in renewables, etc., etc.
I know there are people who think that all this is going to turn out fine. What I don’t know is what they’re smoking.
Greenhouse gasses have already been responsible for cataclysmic damage everywhere. Worse in some places than others.
We cannot turn back time though.
The focus must now be as a global collective of nations, to agree to the development of new age energy dense generation and distribution technologies and the implementation of orderly strategies to either replace or shutdown EVERY existing fossil fuel generation plant PLUS an international mandate that internal combustion engines be no longer manufactured globally by 1/1/2030.
This simple global nations reform compact will gaurantee a reversal of greenhouse gas emissions permanently and quickly.
The people (individuals and corporations) globally that can make this happen are already laying the ground-work for what’s said above to happen. And of course it WILL happen – because it MUST happen. Failure is not an option.
Interestingly for some readers though (most I suspect) is that the greenhouse gasses crisis is such a monumental one, that the solutions will flow from the global commercial technology market place, not the global political establishment.
The magnitude of this global problem is now recognised as simply to big for mere political mastery and management alone.
The take away is all this: The appropriate technological solutions (replace coal fired generation) and (replace internal combustion engines – oil) will be forthcoming within 25 years and deployed globally.
This forgone conclusion presents some amazing commercial opportunities for one or more nations to mobilise their technological bedrock capabilities and take the lead on climate change reversal generation and power distribution technologies, that also satisfy the enormous energy growth demands in the near future for developing nations.
If I was a new national leader looking for a nation building project to rock the world and get the nation back on track – greenhouse gasses elimination technologies would be my first choice.
Lawrence Coomber
Craig,
Don’t get me wrong, I like Commodore Bainimarama, I always did, even when he was the evil military poster boy much hated by the Left.
However, on this issue the Commodore is speaking very emotively, but without any real scientific support. The predicted massive rises in ocean levels are simply not occurring as predicted.
The vast majority of Pacific islands actually increase during periods of higher water levels.
That’s not to say the effects of climate change shouldn’t be carefully studied, just that far more research is needed before making such emotive statements and assumptions.
@ Lawrence your colleague in Aussie Land says that You are a Commodore with High Emotions.
Marco of course he has some technology and technical fixes to share . Be Patient!
The Point Lawrence is making is a Call to ARMS and HIGH Speed action as without the measures he mentioned being taken by 2030 All Bets are Off. We need private sector and business technocrats to demonstrate that they can develop and deploy effective solutions that improve mankinds lot. by resolving the problem before more out of date carbon assets are deployed.
So Lawrence you state Reality. The Paris agreement by all the governments from last year set goals that can’t be met to keep carbon levels below where we need them to be. Too many Swiss Cheese Holes etc.
Germany for all its Vision must keep burning coal in Eastern Germany to keep people employed etc. Sunk costs. Contradictions
Due to political limitations and parochial interests related to employment ( jobs) , the huge power of the entrenched fossil fuel co.s that have too many assets that are going to be Stranded – and they will not recover their sunk Costs. In addition The Banks are in bed with the Energy Co’s and have Underwritten the continued investment levels as they sorta know they own the Politicos!.
MOST studies in the area of how much carbon emissions can we take or realistically reduce show serious Conflicts with Stranded costs for coal, power & oil facilities and transportation fleets if the Nations actually move faster on phasing out Carbon etc.
The cost in Losses scares the Hell …out of everyone.
Ergo there is no Politico solution so it must be a market solution by the High Tech types perhaps.
So it will be difficult if we rely or have fragile hopes on Feeble Government leaders who have been over Compromised by the election process and its limitations.
Lawrence share some specifics so Mate Marco will Sail with you ,
I am sure you will get support from Technical Community.