Bad COP15? Good COP15!
Posted December 23, 2009 in Solving Global Warming
Since I got back from Copenhagen, the most common response among my friends and colleagues has been disappointment with the outcome.
That surprised me. First, because being in Copenhagen was extrordinarily inspiring. It was a privilege and a pleasure to be among the tens of thousands of delegates and activists from around the world working to help address this overwhelming threat.
Second, because being in Copenhagen gave me a sense of the enormity and difficulty of the task before us. Think of it. We are trying to get nearly 200 nations around the world to come together to make a commitment to deep and lasting changes in virtually every aspect of the global economy. This is an extrodinarily challenging undertaking that will require decades of sustained commitment.
Before I left for Copenhagen, a friend asked me how the COP process works. The answer is that there is no blueprint for reaching a global consensus agreement on climate change. Nothing of this scale and scope has ever been attempted.
I sympathize with those who see the Copenhagen Accord as inadequate to the task. Much, much more needs to be done. But as detailed by my NRDC colleagues (here, here, here, and here), the Copenhagen Accord is a big step forward that provides for real reductions in carbon pollution by the world’s biggest emitters, establishes a transparent, international reporting framework, and provides billions of dollars of assistance to those most threatened by climate change. There is plenty of work to do in the weeks, months and years to come. But make no mistake, we took a big step forward last week in Copenhagen.
Just now emerging is the story of the role that President Obama played in the final stages of the negotiations. He arrived to a process that threatened to break down in chaos and recrimination. Through his direct personal involvement he helped forge a global agreement among all but five of the 192 nations present.
I don’t mean to undervalue the extrodinary efforts of so many others – including the 119 heads of state that participated, the largest gathering of world leaders ever. But over the course of only eleven months in office, President Obama has managed to get the U.S. ship of state to make a 180 degree change of course and start steaming in the right direction. As an American, I am impressed and proud of what he has been able to accomplish.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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Comments
Dr. James Singmaster — Dec 29 2009 06:07 AM
Mr. Miller: I regret to say that NRDC and related groups are fooling themselves and their followers about the unawareness of the Copenhagen attendees to the soot effect and the energy overload that are now getting attention. The concept of all that is involved in the climate crisis is the curbing of emissions from vehicles and power plants will end up doing nothing to curb the crisis.
We have to find a way to actually remove some energy and carbon dioxide from their overloads already in the biosphere to get some control of the crisis. We have to get to renewable energy dropping in the next decade money wasted on energy programs to use fossil and nuclear fuels as their use will keep adding to the heat energy overload. You and NRDC staff need to become aware of Dr. E. Chaisson's paper titled "Long-Term Global Warming from Energy Usage" and start calling for the pyrolysis of organic wastes that I have outlined in blog comments here. Several cos. are getting pyrolysis project plant going into testing now and should be getting much stimulus money instead of having it go to any nuclear and fossil fuel programs.
Just curbing emissions, even by 75% through some miracle, will still mean 25% adding to the overload, will it not? So don't we need an action that will reform COAL for use as a soil amendment and not to burn removing some carbon and energy from their overloads, if we can get renewable energy to provide the heat.
The pyrolysis process as I have indicated in several postings here has many other benefits besides remaking coal to remove CO2 and heat from the biosphere . Dr. J. Singmaster.