Yes and no. One big question we all must ask ourselves as we explore climate change is whether global warming can be reversed. Scientific evidence has proven that global warming is occurring at unprecedented rates, leading many – such as myself – to wonder what, if anything, can be done to reverse the affects.
First and foremost, we need to acknowledge there is a huge problem. As I explored last week, there is often denial in society about the affects climate change can and will have on our way of life. Many believe that small steps such as driving less and buying Apple computer software will fix everything.
Making matters worse is that policies have been informed using this same ideology. It wasn’t until 1992 that nearly all of the nations of the world gathered to sign the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Although in theory a good idea, this treaty was legally non-binding and therefore had no enforcement mechanism to attain its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2000.
It took another 13 years to draft and ratify the Kyoto Protocol, that to this day has not been ratified by the United States.
The Kyoto Protocol calls for developed countries to have the greatest responsibility in greenhouse gas reduction because they emit the most. This is clear when we look at cities like Los Angeles, that on a regular basis are covered by a thick layer of smog. The American Lung Association of California reported that smog can lead to lung cancer, heart attacks, asthma attacks, strokes, and early deaths to name a few.
Although developed countries should play a large role in gas emissions, it is important that developing nations also play a large role. Developing nations such as Brazil are home to immense natural resources such as the Amazon Rain Forest, which has for years been absorbing some carbon emissions. However deforestation and land & water degradation from mining are threatening the future of Brazils’ rain forest and ultimately our planet.
As is apparent in both developed and developing countries, harm is being done to the environment and for that reason the next protocol should not include any flexibility. If we are to address climate change in a timely manner, we cannot afford to institute different standards. In the case of developed countries, they must take drastic actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by shifting towards a green economy that considers the environment as an external costs. On the other hand, developing countries must use sustainable development tactics to grow their economy instead of going down the same path that has left developed countries in this position.
The future of the planet is in our hands and by using a sustainable and expedient approach at the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties in Copenhagen to inform policy we can and will see a ‘cooler’ day.
Works Cited:
American Lung Association of California
CIA – The World Factbook – Brazil
