The Paris Climate Agreement Moves Us Forward… Sort Of
Some thoughts on a historic agreement that isn’t as groundbreaking as it seems
By Abhinav Suresh
The Progressive Teen Staff Writer
ON DECEMBER 12, 2015, history was made. Roughly 200 countries signed a treaty in Paris that pledged to limit the destructive capabilities of climate change in the upcoming century. Among the major points are the limitations of global warming to less than two degrees Celsius in comparison to pre-industrial levels and the net emission of zero greenhouse gases for the latter half of the century. With the world behind this strong, necessary message, there is nothing that cannot be done.
I wish I could say that these talks and documents will be groundbreaking. I want to say that global warming has essentially been tackled as much as possible up to this point. Unfortunately, the Paris accords are neither groundbreaking nor a comprehensive solution. In the 1990s, a similar accord was reached, known as the Kyoto Protocol. In 1997, nearly 200 parties attended the revolutionary meeting. After much debate and compromise, nearly 100 signatories agreed upon the statues set forth by the Protocol, and in 2005, the Protocol became effective to all signatories who had since ratified it.
They, too, thought their document would be revolutionary. They, too, thought that the Protocol would effectively end climate change. The main objective was to reduce emissions in the hope of slowing down temperature increases. That objective is reiterated in Paris 2015.
The parallels between Kyoto 1997 and Paris 2015 are not perfect, but they are essential to consider when we evaluate the future. The Kyoto Protocol was an admirable action, but was woefully short in enforcement mechanisms and future outlooks. Similarly, the Paris talks lack enforcement mechanisms and give the member countries far too much wiggle room. Countries are allowed to set their own goals for reduced emissions, and the agreement doesn’t even become binding until nearly 60 countries sign the agreement.
That being said, good news is here too. The agreement, if upheld, will essentially force Western and industrialized nations to adopt clean energy in order to maintain zero net emissions. Other nations would also be forced to follow suit in order to be competitive with industrialized nations. Clean energy would become the norm rather than the exception, and it would soon be incorporated into daily life. Dependence on fossil fuels would be eliminated, and renewable energy would pervade throughout.
We are closer to our climate change goals after the Paris talks. But, as always, we cannot expect a piece of paper to change our lives. So, America, China, India, the EU, the UN…. good work. But we’re not done. And we still have a ways to go.
