For decades, the world struggled to come together to face the threat of climate change. The dialogue and awareness on climate change of our Mother Earth started with the Rio “Earth Summit” in 1992. In the year 1997 Kyoto Protocol was agreed to protect our climate but the USA (President Bush) in 2002 declared no interest in it and hence never ratified. Again efforts were made which culminated in 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to keep temperature rise to 2 degrees from preindustrial levels, but Trump announced on 1st June 2017 that the USA will cease all participation in the Paris Agreement.
After the USA left the Paris Agreement China has taken a leading role by hoisting many preparatory meetings for the COP24 (Conference Of Parties) on the climate change at Katowice, Poland. It ended one day late (on 14th Dec) but with modest agreement by 200 attending countries which is not a small feat. It was a win for the process not for the planet. The COP is an annual event which was started in 1995 with COP1 in Berlin.
The big achievement at COP24 is a rule-based transparent reporting on emission, etc. and failure to report will face inquiry. They have agreed some flexibility for developing countries. The other achievement is recognition of scientific base for the climate change. However, Saudi Arabia, US, Kuwait and Russia refused to recognize the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change but noted the content of their report. One can note here the greed based decent.
One of the scientific finding was that if everyone on earth became vegetarian then carbon emission will reduce by 25% and Earth will be saved from the impending disaster. Can we do that?
Narsibhai Patel
New Malden
