Was it a Christmas present? - well perhaps to start off positively everybody was there, present, including a US president. All agreed that global temperature must not rise beyond 2C and as a consequence recognised the need for substantial cuts in carbon emissions. There was the first formal financial commitment by richer nations to help poorer ones to adapt to climate change and the accord committed everyone to adopt within six weeks binding emissions targets for 2020.
But there were no global targets for cuts, no incentives for countries to pollute less and no sanctions for those who pollute more. And many of the commitments are to be "enacted as soon as possible" not a phrase suggesting the sort of urgency needed to avoid perhaps catastrophic climate change.
It could be argued that the developed countries have greater potential than others in pushing an effective climate treaty forward. But the peoples in such countries, with a few exceptions, have not been severely directly affected by the real impact of climate change like some in third world states eg desertification in sub saharan Africa.
We are probably not going to be so severley affected for a couple of decades. However the time for action it seems is now ie within the next six years years. By then if there is no effective global action we will have reached a point were our control of events will be restricted. Carbon in the atmosphere can stay around for up to 100 years. Its not a case of in 10 years or so saying, well this IS really going to affect ME the individual we must stop now! This is the dilemma.
The accord is disappointing but ending positively perhaps out of its percieved failures might come a determined resolve by all concerned to redouble their efforts.
What about us, what can we do? Write or email your MP and prospective parliamentary candidates every month at least till the next general election asking them to ensure that their parties are playing their part in this process.
Perhaps in this you could point out that the current up-personship games being played in the lead up to the election by the different parties attempting to gain the upperhand should place this issue at the top of its must do list. I wonder if any will? I hope to be proved wrong!
One last thing you could do is to vote Green in this year's general election. That would really send a powerful message to the other parties. You now have the opportunity in Halton to do just that!
Happy Christmas and a peaceful New Year!
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