Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Prospects Rise For a 2015 UN Climate Deal, But Likely To Be Weak

Posted by samzenpus on from the too-little dept.

An anonymous reader writes with news that a global climate deal seems to be on the horizon. "A global deal to combat climate change in 2015 looks more likely after promises for action by China, the United States and the European Union, but any agreement will probably be too weak to halt rising temperatures. Delegates from almost 200 nations will meet in Lima, Peru, from Dec. 1-12 to work on the accord due in Paris in a year's time, also spurred by new scientific warnings about risks of floods, heatwaves, ocean acidification and rising seas. After failure to agree a sweeping U.N. treaty at a summit in Copenhagen in 2009, the easier but less ambitious aim now is a deal made up of 'nationally determined' plans to help reverse a 45 percent rise in greenhouse gas emissions since 1990."

4 of 145 comments (clear)

  1. What did China promise? by schwit1 · · Score: 2

    The agreement allows China to continue building coal-powered plants, expand its economy and cement its place as the world's leading polluter -- perhaps even doubling its output until 2030 or some year around that time, when China's carbon emissions are expected to peak.

    At that point, the Chinese promise that they will implement some vague action plan at some vague point in the future. All we need to do is trust them. The agreement contains no binding language requiring any goals to be met.

    1. Re:What did China promise? by 0123456 · · Score: 2

      Exactly. China promised to do nothing, other than make Obama look like a dumb-ass.

      As for a 'UN Climate Deal', they'll announce a glorious new agreement in 2015 that doesn't require anyone to do anything unless anyone else does. And the only people who'll actually do anything will be Obama and the suicidal EU nations.

    2. Re:What did China promise? by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 2

      China promised to do nothing, other than make Obama look like a dumb-ass.

      Obama didn't promise to do anything either. Under American law, no international agreement is binding unless it is ratified by the Senate. Chance of that happening in this case: 0%.

      What Obama "promised" is what America is on track to accomplish anyway. Vehicle fuel efficiency is rising. Shale gas is replacing coal. Electricity consumption is falling, as people go from incandescent to CFL to LED, and CRT to flat screen.

  2. Re:Not easy to go nuclear, though it's the answer by rubycodez · · Score: 2

    plenty of smarter countries have a full-on nuclear program, too bad the USA isn't one of those.