A World to Win, A Planet to Save

SHARE THE WORLD,
 SPARE THE PLANET

The world has failed to address climate change and the failure to really address climate change is not unexpected. Basically the expected happened. Among the COP21 agreement's many shortcomings is that it sets the aspirational goal of limiting temperature increase to 1.5°C without providing any "meaningful" direction to how that is achieved. The deal lacks teeth and so in and of itself will not solve our carbon dioxide and methane problem. Countries have essentially been left to their own devices to meet their individual greenhouse gas reduction targets, known as Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (or INDCs). In reality, scientists have said that these individual pledges are not enough to reach the internationally agreed-upon goal of limiting warming "well below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels." COP21 has essentially doomed that 1.5°C target, as negotiators failed to ensure binding, obligatory, quantifying, and drastic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions cuts from the top polluter countries and corporations, such as the industries of fossil fuel and mineral extraction, power generation, transportation, and agri-industrial plantations. Capitalism continue to dictate its governing framework and regulations.

“The 1.5°C target leaves very little leeway,” says Luderer. “Any imperfections – be  it a further delay of meaningful policy action, or a failure to achieve negative emissions at large scale – will make the 1.5°C target unattainable during this century,”explains Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) researcher,

Canada wants to expand tar sands development? How exactly does that policy justify with the Canadian government’s recent commitment to keep global warming below 1.5°C? Banks want to finance more coal fired power plants? Businesses continue pursuing business plans thet keep on emitting enough carbon to push the world to over 2°C of warming.

The Climate Change Catastrophe is a deceiving problem because the full effect of emissions does not become evident until decades after they occur so the problem does not evoke emotional urgency. The really bad effects will not occur until the second half of this century which for many people is after their expected lifetime and even for younger people seems far in the future.

 Having predicted a fake success story from Paris COP21, this blog now makes the prophesy that we should now expect the promotion of ‘clean coal’, nuclear power, mega dam, and carbon capture and storage technologies as part of the climate mitigation efforts. These re-packaged dirty technologies are part and parcel of the corporate green-wash that allows for more ‘business than usual’. Whatever makes most money is what will drives corporations and nations. Those optimists who believe that politicians will save the world are seeking the cooperation of people who let babies drown and who  bomb the countries these babies and their families are seeking to escape. To halt the destruction of the planet, you cannot rely on the same people who cause it.