After three decades of scientific evidence - and warnings - that we are now experiencing dangerous climate change, I had some hope that the Durban Climate Change Conference (COP17) would at last result in some real global action to tackle carbon emissions - and endorse forest protection.
Unfortunately, this has not happened.
After several days of fraught "negotiations" the outcome (curiously described by some as a "breakthrough") seems to be
"a commitment to develop a agreement between all countries by 2015, that will take effect in 2020".
"a commitment to develop a agreement between all countries by 2015, that will take effect in 2020".
This quite obviously means no real action on reducing carbon emissions, protecting forests, or addressing the chronic imbalance between First World and Third World economies.
Unfortunately, this is yet another pointer that the end of the world as we know it is looming.
This outcome fails the following key tests:
- Are global emissions going down? No.
- When will emissions go down and atmospheric CO2 be stabilised or decline? Don't know.
It appears that for all the rhetoric, the bottom line is that First World countries really don't want to stop excessive emissions and some Developing Nations don't want to give up their "right" to increase them.
So if Governments, nations and the United Nations can't take action on climate change, it looks like you and I have to.
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