It's progress. At the 2009 summit, 157 nations promised they'd present the idea of limiting global temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius, (3.6. Fahrenheit) to their governments, and cut emissions from what they were in 1990.
The numbers haunt me -- 2 degrees from1990 levels -- the nations "promised" (but didn't commit themselves). Now, after Paris, nations are "committed" to cutting emissions to what they were in 1919.
Yes, the Paris Summit brings us closer to mitigating what's happening with weather throughout the world. But large countries have different objectives from the smaller, poorer countries, and a commitment to cut emissions involves -- wow -- a lot of people -- many meetings in each of the 195 countries. Our own country can't even get Obama's commitment ratified. It's going to take a long time -- months, maybe years -- for 195 countries to cut emissions down.
Many, many climatologists say we have already reached and gone beyond 2 degrees C (3.6 F) of global warming.
The United Nation's climate chief, (Christiana Figueres), recently said, "We're not in the world of business as usual anymore -- we are in a world of business that's urgent.” Tim Gore, an internationally renown climatologist, declared grimly, "The conference is seeking an agreement that would take us from a 4-degree catastrophe to a 3-degree disaster.” (He's saying the numbers are already out of date -- we’ve already emitted enough greenhouse gases to lock in a 2-degree Celsius rise.) Ray Pierrehumbert, the top man at Oxford University, University of Chicago, and Stockholm University, has said, "Barring some technological miracle, we’ll probably blow right past it." Just about everyone involved with global warming says that our best hope is developing an alternative form of energy production that produces no greenhouse gases, or maybe finding ways to capture and store gases, or geo-engineering.
What's geo-engineering? Who's doing it? Does anyone have a feasible, possible solution?
Yes. Maybe ...
It's complicated. There are a lot of new terms and different kinds of ideas. In my next blog, I'll report what I've learned.
Posts
4 comments:
Great one Em. I for one believe in climate change, but I am a realist. I realize that for every person who believes in climate change there's two who don't believe or just don't care.
We have to change minds, but is it too late?
INteresting dear friend Emily!!
Dear Emily, If we were to focus on climate change, the answer would come from our inspiration. Hence, inspiration is the key, in this global effect. We all drink the water and breath the air. How could we not be inspired to cherish it. Where is the accountability on this?
It needs to be mentioned in everything we use. Hint: Mother Earth Symbol Thank you for the message.
Diane Fish
Post a Comment