The recent, and
unfortunate terrorist attacks in Paris, Beirut, and Mali, to name a few, have been
at the forefront of every major news media on the planet. Focus is on capturing
the Paris accomplices, as well as preventing other attacks from happening.
However, even though this attention is commonplace in times of danger, the
upcoming Paris Climate Summit in December is being overshadowed for its
significant importance.
The goal of the
Summit is for world leaders to create a set of reforms that would limit
greenhouse gas emissions to the level of 2 degrees Celsius – the recommended level
by Climate scientists that would prevent catastrophic damage to the planet.
Some of the
dangers of a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario where nothing is done include:
- As glaciers continue to melt, sea-level rise is threatening the livelihoods of island nations, which could result in another massive flow of refugees fleeing their homes.
- Warmer ocean temperatures will continue to affect marine life, coral reefs, as well as ocean currents that carry warmer and cooler waters throughout the planet.
- More floods, droughts, hurricanes, and longer forest fire seasons.
In other worlds,
the Paris Climate Summit is crucial for the health and well-being of our planet
and ourselves. The planet is currently at a time of grief with the recent
terror attacks, but we must not forget about the other challenges we have.
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| Source: The Guardian |
Just in the last
few months, the British government has “slashed its support for solar power and
other renewable forms of energy.”[1]
Instead, they cite their move to gas as more feasible. However, let’s remember
that producing natural gas releases methane, which is much more powerful than
carbon dioxide in the short-term.
Moreover, with the
French government clamping down on any possible security threats, they decided
to ban public organizing during the upcoming Climate Summit. This ultimately
undermines the ability of those affected by our warming climate to have a
voice, to be seen on TV, Facebook, Twitted about, and the like.
The voice of the
people is what drives these negotiations, and with governments on the fence
with committing to effective climate action, they will likely seek the easy way
out without no visible media focus on public gatherings. Naomi Klein makes this
point very clear in a recent Guardian article, saying that people coming from
the Pacific nations – those directly affected – use the public spaces to speak
out, to fight for their lives.[2]
It is important to
remember the reasons governments will gather in Paris this December, rather
than make it less important by the recent attacks, and limit the willingness of
the negotiations. The Paris Climate Summit is another type of security
gathering, one for our children, and for our planet.
