Dickinson to Durban » Archive
Our legs are moving but are we walking?
Are climate negotiations moving forward? Yes, but at a crawl. The results of the past two COP gatherings have yielded two documents: the Copenhagen Accord and the Cancun Agreements. The Copenhagen Accord, written at COP 15, is a short document expressing the recognition that global climate change is a serious problem and the only way to address it is through serious cutbacks in emissions. It also clearly states that two degrees Celsius is the target for maximum temperature change. This in itself is not a novel idea; however, the last sentence of the document asks for “consideration of strengthening the long-term goal referencing various matters presented by the science, including in relation to temperature rises of 1.5 degrees Celsius.” The idea to cut emissions below the minimum required has not … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
And so it begins
Thursday, September 15 marked our first taste of the struggles of global climate deliberations. Our Global Climate Change Africa Mosaic class along with a first year seminar class attempted to navigate a simplified version of an international climate change negotiations. It was difficult. The painful balance of economic and environmental responsibility at times was almost too much to bear. Staying in character in a room full of first-years and close friends is exceedingly difficult, especially when almost everyone is environmentally aware. Awkwardness, coupled with a significant lack of information, left many negotiators arguing heatedly over negligible points. I have never realized how little I knew about the value of a dollar before this session. Propositions for “monetary donations” to a “global fund” jumped from a few hundred billion dollars to one … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
Paying off the debt
Human growth and expansion is responsible for a majority of climate change. Historically, the blame has fallen upon developed nations, most notably the United States, however, rapidly expanding economies in developing countries, especially the BRICS nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa), are now contributing a substantial amount of greenhouse gases exacerbating global climate change. A significant part of the problem lies in the practice of outsourcing the most polluting industrial processes to these countries. Developing countries profit from the outsourcing and have experienced incredible growth rates which would have otherwise been impossible. This growth, however, has not been coupled with a rising level of sustainability efforts and many industries remain grossly inefficient. Because so many goods are manufactured in developing countries that consume these massive amounts of energy, which … Read entire article »
Filed under: Environmental Politics
A Custom Concern of the People
There is a reason that the word “global” is in the term global climate change. This is a problem that ultimately impacts all citizens of Earth. Global climate change makes no distinction between political association or economic prosperity; everyone will be affected and everyone has a responsibility. The entire history of climate change study clearly denotes the international effort to answer scientific questions. From the first computer models to the IPCC reports, the threat of climate change has voided political boundaries and forced people to act as part of the global community. Researching climate change has created institutions such as the World Meteorological Organization as well as produced several international conventions to help address this formidable problem. One of the key issues that discussions regarding global climate change face is management … Read entire article »
Filed under: Climate Change
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