The representatives from 195 countries have signed a tentative agreement on reducing the emission which is literally chocking the earth and causing global warming as the result the climate change. The main issue has been how to reduce the emission and helping the planet earth to cool down.
The agreement calls for keeping the global warming by no more than 2 degrees Celsius or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit by the year 2100. The scientists believe that any tempter rise above that will ensue the most catastrophic effects of climate change. Keeping the temperature at that level will avoid these catastrophic effect.
To keep the temperature rising to no more than the state goal means use of alternative energy which does not emit carbon monoxide, the main cause of global warming.
The agreement basically states that the countries shall reduce the emission and help to reduce the warming of the earth. The main issue for less developed and developing countries is that who is going to pay them to change their way of economic growth, that is substituting the use of fossil fuels and coal with emission free energy.
The agreement states that the developed countries shall pay $100 billion dollars a year helping the less developed and developing countries to improve their economy. However, this important provision of the agreement is not binding unlike the other provisions that are binding on the countries participating in this agreement.
What is concerning is that the agreement needs to be approved by the legislatures of each country. Given the current Congress views on climate change, the chances of this agreement being approved almost impossible. When the chairman of the environmental committee in the Senate, Mr. Jim Inhofe, makes mockery of the climate change group and is one of the leading climate change denier, how could this agreement even get to the floor of the Senate, let being passed.
There is no timeline in reducing the use of fossil fuel, but each country will set its own goal. The agreement also provides for meeting every five years to review the progress. Also the countries have to submit their progress to an outside monitoring body.
How can the developing countries be persuaded to pay for the cost of substitution of energy use to the developing countries, when it is not binding? The Agreement may sound and look good, but it is doubtful that it will get anywhere, when the major polluter, the United States of America, will not approve the agreement as the Congress is currently being controlled by the Republicans and climate change deniers.
Undoubtedly, climate change is the most serious threat to human life and any other living creatures on the planet and if it is not taken seriously, then the life as we know it will be over. It is up to average citizen to take action and forcing their legislatures approve and pass any bills that fight the climate change. The classic argument that the climate deniers have is that it kills jobs, which in reality it creates hundreds of thousands of jobs. It has been proven that new technology always creates jobs and developing new devices, tools and monitoring systems to control the pollution is not an exemption to this reality.
Let’s hope that this treaty works for the sake of humanity.
