In Paris later this year, global leaders will meet to thrash out a deal to reduce dangerous greenhouse gas
emissions.
Janos Pasztor, United Nations assistant secretary general
for climate change, said the task in Paris at the COP21 Summit would be to put
mechanisms into the deal to encourage countries to ramp up their ambitions over
time. Requirements for periodic reviews and fresh pledges are under discussion
as a potential part of the agreement.
Greenpeace International executive director, Kumi Naidoo,
said, "For the Paris agreement to be effective, according to the best
available climate science, it will need to provide a long term vision and a
clear trajectory from now through mid-century. All actions for climate by
political leaders will be measured by this goal. Government leaders must not
play games and offer competing long term directions which will only help the
polluters to continue with devastating the planet and ruining the people's
homes and lives. More and more cities, communities and companies are making
commitments to 100% renewable energy: evidence that the global energy
transformation is not only feasible but also an environmental and moral
imperative."
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Sloan School of
Management (MIT Sloan) along with climate analysts with the nonprofit Climate
Interactive released the latest findings that the world is still on track to
experience "the worst impacts of climate change," according to a new
report, as nations' pledges to reduce carbon emissions still fall substantially
short of what's needed to keep warming levels beneath the 2°C threshold. Based
on the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) put forward in
advance of the UN climate talks in Paris this November and December—and
assuming countries adhere to the non-binding measures—the planet still faces a
global temperature increase of 3.5°C. Should nations continue along their
current path, the study predicts that the Earth could see increases up to
4.5°C.
The emissions reductions must be paired with "further
action," the groups warn, namely a cohesive plan to switch the global
energy system from fossil fuels to a renewable energy supply. Andrew Jones of
Climate Interactive added that the current barriers prohibiting such changes
"are political and social."
The SOYMB blog would doubt the honesty of any of the claims
made by any of the governments who go to Paris this year. Not only are the
pledges not enough, they're meaningless anyhow. Big Business always talks the
talk, but never walks the walk. We see that with Volkswagen’s manipulation of
their cars pollution data.
The political and social barriers referred to are formidable
and it is hard to see how they can be overcome soon enough to avoid the worst
impacts of climate change which are hard to define but could be unimaginable in
scope. There are a number of countries with economies that are basically
dependent on the exploitation and sale of fossil fuels. Then there are giant
corporate and state-owned fossil fuel companies that are intent on staying in
the fossil fuel business. And, there are millions of people employed in the
fossil fuel industry and local economies that depend on these people having
jobs. Also, there are poorer developing countries that cannot make a transition
to renewable energy such as wind and solar without receiving large amounts of
money from rich developed countries while politicians in these developed
countries are wary of allocating such large sums of money to developing
countries. We delude ourselves if we think the ruling elite cares all that much
for the little guy.
The science is clear that, to maintain a good chance of
avoiding catastrophic levels of warming, the world must keep the vast majority
of its remaining fossil fuels in the ground. Governments and corporations will
only address the crisis we face with negotiations that propose minor changes
and sustain capitalism. They only divert attention away from the economic systems
that created the crisis we face. The World Socialist Movement is based on the
idea that it is up to the people "to say enough is enough.” and shift
power back to our communities. There is no time to waste—our economic system
must be transformed," the organizers state. "Through the power of
people taking collective action we will build a future based on justice and
sustainability and stop the climate crisis.
The environmental movement is at least 45 years old in the
US – the first Earth Day was in 1970. In that time, tens of billions of dollars
have been spent on environmental groups and issues. The Nature Conservancy
alone holds assets worth over $20b. Since then, half the terrestrial species on
the planet that were around then are now gone forever – extinct. The World
Wildlife Fund have an annual budget of over $100 million. Yet things have been
on an increasingly downward spiral all along and every bio-shere on the planet is
currently under pressure. Lots of money raised and spent and little to show for
it. By any measurement, it’s devastating failure. Germany does not get all its
energy from solar as some contest. Germany has not reduced coal use, much less
phased out coal. In fact, Britain, Germany, Italy, Japan and France have
increased their coal burning by over 16% from 2009 - 2013.
California’s Governor Jerry Brown explains “We are talking
about extinction. We are talking about climate regimes that have not been seen
for tens of millions of years. We’re not there yet, but we’re on our way.”
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