Today is a historic
day for humanity!.
That is the headline of many
newspapers and web pages which have been following the international conference
on climate change (COP21) in Paris. Today it was presented the final draft which summarizes two week of negotiations by representatives from 195
countries.
One of the most significant
agreements is about the new target for global warming temperature. As we
noticed in the previous post, the target of 2°C meant the starting point of the
discussion for this version of the conference. Due to scientific evidence given
along COP21 sessions, this goal changed: it's essential to pursue a lower
value, with special efforts to restrict the increment to 1,5°C. According to
categorical simulations this new target represents a significant and favourable
change of scenery regarding to the potential effect on the global environment.
Another interesting point is
related to finance. The funding of $100 billion per year by developed countries
to support environmental policies in developing countries will start
operating by 2020. This represents a substantial measurement to promote an
integral solution with developing and developed countries working together. A
global threat necessarily requires being tackled with a common view.
Although this represent an important advance facing the global warming, it´s necessary to be aware about what 1,5°C means; this figure must be analysed again, and again. Seems to be clear that the effect on climate change should be significantly less and probably some extreme consequences may be avoided by 2100, however, it´s still a 1,5°C increment; which are the environmental effects of this new scenery?. As can we see, environmental models and their continued progress have undoubtedly been (and they will remain being) a major player.
I invite you to take a look to
the COP21 web page and read in detail this already called “historic document”.
“If it is adopted, this text will mark a historic turning point” (Laurent Fabius, president of COP21)
Hi Damian,
ReplyDeleteHearing about the COP21 debates lately has been incredibly interesting, and it's great to hear they're aiming for a 1.5°C increased over 2°C, as the evidence shows that 2°C is still too high! Do you think that the countries have pledged enough to reach this 1.5°C target?
Additionally, do you think that the $100 billion toward developing countries until 2020 is enough? To me, with there being over a hundred, developing countries require significantly more for adaptation and serious infrastructure change, as well as some mitigation strategies.
Hi Chloe,
ReplyDeleteFirst, really thanks for your assertive comment. For me the key is to have today an acceptable start point. So, the level of pledge and quantity of funding involved must necessarily be reviewed in a short term. In effect, regarding to the last one, this will be set again by 2025 at the latest (this is part of the agreement). Probably it would be necessary a continuous update of level of commitment of different countries according to the first results. I hope this for the next COP o maybe within the next five years.
I agree with your concern, but know we have an "updated" agreement over which initiate a more permanent solution.
regards