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Hopeful UK leading article on climate change predictions
The outlook for our climate is dark – but hope remains
A global deal in Copenhagen can still pull us back from the brink
Saturday, 14 March 2009
Please read the full article at The Independent
Editor’s note: This lead article reiterates the stark warnings from scientist and economists such as Sir Nicholas Stern regarding what will happen to us and our planet if we fail to cut carbon emissions.
“Extended conflict, social disruption, war essentially, over much of the world, for many decades.” Those are the stakes. And they could not be higher. Lord Stern, the author of a seminal report for the UK Treasury on global warming.
“The climate system is already moving beyond the patterns of natural variability within which our society and economy have developed and thrived. Rapid, sustained and effective mitigation based on global and regional actions is required to avoid dangerous climate change.” Statement from the international scientific conference in Copenhagen the week of March 9, 2009.
However, The Independent ends its article on a positive note. It makes a good case for the opportunity the economic downturn presents for forming global partnershops to curb emissions, investing in renewable energy schemes and laying the foundations for future green growth:
“The economic crisis also provides a golden opportunity for political leaders to convince the public about the need to put environmental protection at the centre of policy-making. It is now widely acknowledged that the manner in which some of our societies in the West relied on cheap debt for growth was unsustainable. There is an obvious parallel in the manner in which we have relied on fossil fuels to power our economies.
“And just as the world needs global co-operation to fend off a prolonged economic slump, we need international partnership to meet the threat of climate change. Every nation is suffering because of the economic crisis. They stand equally exposed to the threat of runaway climate change, as Lord Stern warns.
“So curbing emission has to be part of a global partnership. That is why December’s international meeting in Copenhagen to agree on a successor to the Kyoto protocol is of such critical importance. Despite the evident frustrations of scientists on display this week, the signs of success for a new global agreement on curbing emissions have never been more promising. This is mainly due to the willingness of President Obama to throw his support behind an international deal, ending the obstructive stance of his predecessor in the White House. The world’s largest and still richest economy has signalled that it is prepared to accept binding cuts to its emissions. That opens the door for the world’s fast-developing but still poor nations, such as China, India and Brazil, to sign up to a deal. It cuts through the knot of suspicion and antagonism that has constricted negotiations for so long.”
