As COP21, the UN climate conference in Paris, was wrapped this weekend, and seemingly the accord worked-out is on-its-face a noteworthy consensus, but maybe 20 years or so too late.
Good/best analysis on the final agreement can be found at Climate Code Red, and Saturday’s CarbonBrief, among others, and an interesting overview of the deal in Sunday’s New York Magazine.
Reality, however, be different — from Time magazine last week, before the Paris talks concluded:
The 1.5°C (2.7 F) target, even if included in the final agreement, is unlikely to actually be met. Temperatures are expected to rise by more than 3°C (5.4 F) even if countries follow through on their current commitments to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Climate experts acknowledge that fact, but it doesn’t seem to be stopping them.
(Illustration: M.C Escher’s ‘Three Spheres II‘ found here).
Herein lies the shit. What’s required is a near-full-stop on carbon emissions, like right now. Climate activist and co-founder of 350.org, Bill McKibben, noted with a hint of optimism on Saturday: ‘“This agreement won’t save the planet, not even close, but it’s possible that it saves the chance of saving the planet — if movements push even harder from here on out.”‘
A big ‘if‘…
Former NASA climate scientist James Hansen in an interview Saturday at the Guardian after the UN agreement was announced, called it what it be:
“It’s a fraud really, a fake,” he says, rubbing his head.
“It’s just bullshit for them to say: ‘We’ll have a 2C warming target and then try to do a little better every five years.’ It’s just worthless words.
“There is no action, just promises. As long as fossil fuels appear to be the cheapest fuels out there, they will be continued to be burned.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry, who led US negotiators in Paris, cross-walked a rejection of Hansen’s comments on Sunday, oblivious seemingly what came out of his own pie-hole (also the Guardian):
“Look, I have great respect for Jim Hansen and I was there in 1988 when he first warned everybody climate change was happening,” the secretary of state said.
“But with all due respect to him, I understand the criticisms of the agreement because it doesn’t have a mandatory scheme and it doesn’t have a compliance enforcement mechanism. That’s true.”
He continued in a minor-rant about the joys of the Paris agreement, how 186 countries came together with plans for reducing emissions, and an apparent ode to a worldwide shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy, and so forth. Tripe from the establishment.
Rain continues on California’s north coast, as we contradictory-like merrily traipse along…