COP 21 Meetings: A Success By Any Reasonable Measure
There are plenty of people and groups disappointed by the outcome of the Paris COP 21 meetings, in particular, those who stand to suffer most immediately and intensely as a result of climate change, or of the abusive processes related to fossil fuel extraction. Anyone with a heart needs to be sympathetic.
Yet it’s clear that the world is headed in a far more positive direction now than it’s ever been regarding climate change mitigation and the migration away from fossil fuels. In particular, the agreements made among 196 countries (including the 31 that have the most bearing on the subject) would have been a pipe-dream just a few years ago.
Of course, an intention to do a certain thing and the capacity to do it are two distinct items. How is it possible to ramp down the consumption, particularly of coal and oil? Of course, the issue is technology: the creation of increasingly cost-effective renewables and the development of the much-vaunted “advanced nuclear.” How is it possible for our Congress to fund some of the actions to which the U.S. has agreed? That could be even tougher than the technology and economic issues. In any case, though we are most definitely not on track to limit global warming to 2 degrees C, we’re a heck of a lot closer than we were before the meetings.
Really, it’s another indication that our world is making progress in terms of humanitarianism and sustainability. Earlier today, women in Saudi Arabia voted for the first time since human civilization was formed in that region 10,000 years ago. Do the Saudis offer anything close to gender equality? Of course not. But everything good has to start somewhere.
In the recent issue of National Geographic, there is an article on the melting of the polar ice cap. More evidence is given by the scientific community.
Yes. I know some of these people personally. It’s exciting though frightening stuff.
A carbon tax could fund some of the renewable changes; or institute a feed-in tariff (adjusted every few years) to encourage the same actions. Capturing the free energy of the SUN, in it’s many forms, will provide money we don’t currently have by lowering energy costs while saving the planet.
Do we have representatives willing to do these things? It will likely take more than a particular President. Or is it our responsibility as citizens of the world?