Negotiations in Bonn about Climate Change Will Likely Decide if Paris Climate Talks ‘Can Save Human Civilization from Ultimate Collapse’
Paul Brown, Climate News Network | June 1, 2015
The 2°C limit has been set by politicians to prevent the planet overheating dangerously—but the cuts in carbon emissions required to achieve it have so far not been agreed.
It is this gap between the policy goals agreed by world leaders and their lack of action to achieve them that the Bonn conference seeks to address.
The meeting, which opened today, will last for 10 days as working groups grapple with action to reduce carbon emissions, how to finance technology transfer, and how to adapt to sea level rise and other unavoidable consequences of present warming—such as the current heatwave affecting India, where temperatures in some southern states have topped 47°C.
Devastating consequences
Scientists and environmental groups have said that this year’s negotiations are humanity’s “Last Chance Saloon.” If steep emissions cuts are not agreed upon and implemented quickly, the global temperature has little chance of staying under 2°C—with devastating consequences for the natural world and human civilization.
There are signs that momentum towards agreement is increasing. A report by Globe International, which will be given to delegates, reveals that three-quarters of the world’s annual emissions of greenhouse gases are now limited by national targets.
There are signs that momentum towards agreement is increasing. A report by Globe International, which will be given to delegates, reveals that three-quarters of the world’s annual emissions of greenhouse gases are now limited by national targets.
The 2015 Global Climate Legislation Study shows that the number of climate laws and policies aimed at limiting emissions passed by national governments had increased to 804 this year, up from 426 in 2009 when the Copenhagen climate talks collapsed, and from just 54 in 1997 when the Kyoto Protocol was agreed.
The lead author of the study, Michal Nachmany, a researcher at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, says: “With three-quarters of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions now covered by national targets, we can be more confident about the credibility of the pledges that countries will make ahead of the crucial summit in Paris.
“While collectively these pledges are unlikely to be consistent with the international goal of avoiding global warming of more than 2°C, the existence of national legislation and policies should provide the opportunity for countries to strengthen the ambition of their emissions cuts after the summit.”
Professor Samuel Fankhauser, co-director of the Grantham Institute and co-author of the study, says: “Every five or so years, the number of climate laws and policies across the world has doubled. This growing amount of legislation provides evidence that the world’s major emitters are taking serious steps to tackle climate change in their countries.
“By writing their intentions into law, the world’s leaders have shown that international climate change talks do lead to national action in the vast majority of countries.”
The problem is, as the report points out, that current targets and timetables to achieve them are not enough to limit greenhouse gases sufficiently to get below the agreed 2°C limit.
