Climate talks offer no sign of final agreement
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As governments continue to disagree on how to combat climate change, it falls upon individuals to take the lead in responsible use of resources
Negotiators from nearly 200 countries have barely managed to come up with a deal to set a path for a new climate-change treaty, but the moderate outcome of the climate talks in Durban should not derail the campaign to make the world a better place to live in.
Major economies, especially the US and China, still need to show that they are serious about the effort to keep the earth habitable for future generations. These governments need to do more to encourage their peoples and industries to limit carbon emissions, which are having a negative effect on our environment.
Canada has just decided to pull out of the Kyoto Protocol, arguing that it is useless without the support of the US and China. But that should not deter those who are making efforts to preserve the environment.
The protocol is aimed at fighting global warming, and came in response to scientists’ warnings that if the level of greenhouse gases continues to rise, global temperatures will also rise, causing sea levels to rise and ice sheets to melt.
In fact, the main agenda of the climate talks in Durban was an imperative. Negotiators will have to reach a deal that will establish a new climate treaty by 2015, to replace the first Kyoto Protocol, which expires at the end of next year. The Durban accord envisions a new treaty with binding targets for all countries, to take effect in 2020.
But the process to replace the Kyoto climate deal, adopted in 1997, has not been met with widespread optimism because some major economies say they will not accept new commitments, especially certain emissions targets.
However, the talks in Durban yet again did not reflect the urgency of combating climate change. Negotiators still point accusing fingers, blaming others for dragging their feet. Some said that the process is not working because the participating countries in the Kyoto Protocol generate less than 30 per cent of all global emissions. Some want to see the agreement covering all nations before they sign up to it, saying that they want a fair agreement binding upon all countries nations.
But let’s not lose sight of the real issue here, which is how countries can help prevent global temperatures rising by more than 2 degrees Celsius above current levels by the end of this century.
The direct repercussions of the deal will be upon all people, whose livelihoods will be increasingly affected by global warming. The level of carbon emissions could affect the quality of air and water resources, and it is believed that global warming has contributed to the severe natural disasters that many parts of the world, including Thailand, have witnessed over the past few years.
Negotiators might have been able to come up with a mid-way agreement at the South African meeting, but the fight for a greener world must not stop there. There is much further work to do to flesh out details that will be realistic and acceptable for all nations, to show a unified effort in combating carbon pollution. The major greenhouse-gas emitters such as the US, China and India must actively participate in brokering a deal.
In the meantime, the non-government sector, individuals and communities everywhere can contribute to the mission to reduce emissions. A prospective deal does not mean we have to stop using vehicles or we have to close down industries. But governments should at least instill greater awareness of the consequences that over-consumption and industrial pollution could leave on the environment – which we have a responsibility to preserve for our children and their children. The use of environmentally friendly materials and resources such as bio-fuels and carbon-offset schemes must be further explored. People must generally learn to use energy with maximum efficiency.
The public does not need to wait for the new protocol. We can all contribute to this effort by showing environmentally conscious behaviour. This will be the most effective pressure brought to bear on governments and industries to do more. After all, the earth provides only finite resources that we all have to share together.
