Sunday 13 December 2015

Proof of the Pudding


People are generally speaking optimistically about the climate change 'agreement' reached in Paris (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/paris-climate-change-conference/12047233/Paris-climate-change-agreement-at-a-glance.html). Whilst, clearly any agreement is much better than 'no agreement', I must admit to being a tad pessimistic. It is nice that 200+ countries can agree a common wording but much depends on what actually happens (a 5 yearly marking of one's own homework doesn't sound especially reliable). As some experts have pointed out, promises to achieve reductions 'in the future' a) will not lead to an immediate reduction in 'greenhouse gas' emissions, the melting of ice caps or rising sea levels; b) can be overturned by political changes in the governance of some of the major participants and c) might be subject to tricky 'fudges'. I suppose one can only hope for (rather than expect) the best.

No comments:

Failure By Design?

In 2018, the then Environmental Secretary made a speech, promising the UK's environmental protection measures would be 'strengthene...