Dickinson to Durban » Archive
Technology Race: The Solution to Climate Change?
By: Christine Burns ’14 Finding an economically viable solution to global climate change is an arduous task, but if we want a planet that can continue to support life, than we must take up the challenge. Assessing US Climate Policy Options is a report written through the Resources for the Future (RFF). The major contributors to this report are listed in Figure 1. Clearly most of these companies have something to loose should America shift in … Read entire article »
Filed under: Carbon Markets, Climate Change
Low Expectations Results in Satisfaction
By Christine Burns ’14 Each year when the Conference of the Parties takes place, the world holds its breath, waiting for the delegates to come to an agreement in which all the important nations of the world have cooperated to come up with a plan, a part two to the Kyoto Protocol in which everyone takes part. Unfortunately, these expectations are too high. There are too many important parties, with too many different goals. I cannot say that I find a lot of hope from either the Cancun Agreement or the Copenhagen Accord, but maybe I am simply being too pessimistic. After reading both documents and reviews of both documents I fail to see enough concrete plans in either one. To start at the beginning, the Copenhagen Accord was inconsequential. After all … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues, Mosaic Action
From Friend to Foe
By: Christine Burns ’14 On September 15th the Mosaic students and a first-year seminar participated in a climate change negotiations simulation. Each student was given a country to represent and we were placed into three categories: developing (EU, US), rapidly developing (China, India), and other developing (Sub-Sahara Africa, Bangladesh) countries. We then attempted to negotiate a climate change agreement between the three groups. I now have an understanding for how difficult climate negotiations truly are. I always get annoyed when global negotiations do not produce results, but after heatedly arguing with my friends and peers for three hours, I have a much better appreciation for how complex international negotiations are. Countries come from very different backgrounds making it difficult for them to see eye-to-eye and therefore come to a consensus that incorporates … Read entire article »
Filed under: Carbon Markets, Climate Change, Key COP17 Issues, Mosaic Action
As the Gap Widens
By: Christine Burns ’14 The issues surrounding responsibility for climate change stem from an inequality between developed and developing nations. This inequality makes it difficult for them to see eye to eye, on issues such as responsibility for causing climate change and for fixing climate change.When it comes down to it, it does not matter who is responsible, because everyone is affected by climate change. We can play the blame game, but that is not going to solve anything. Yet, it must be said that developed nations such as the United States and Europe are predominately responsible for the climate change that is starting to be seen now (Bulkeley and Newell). They went through their industrial revolutions 150 years ago during which they relied heavily on fossil fuels, and since then … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
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