Climate Summits/Just Talk?

IN THE view of some scientists, planet Earth is ill.  It is running a fever. According to them, the global temperature may be approaching the so-called tipping point-that delicate threshold where a slight rise in temperature may "cause a dramatic change in the environment that itself triggers a far greater increase in global temperatures," says the British newspaper The Guardian.

How did we get into this situation? Can it be reversed?  Indeed, is it even within mankind's ability to solve the problem of global warming-not to mention the many other major challenges confronting the human race? 

Many scientists believe that human activity is a major factor, beginning with the industrial revolution and the subsequent increase in the use of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil. Another factor involves rampant deforestation. Forest serve as lungs for our environment. Tress absorb some of the greenhouse gases that produce global warming. However, the cutting away of large amounts of forest result in leaving increasing amounts of these gases in our atmosphere. In order to address these problems, world leaders have convened climate summits.  

The Kyoto Protocol

The 1997 Kyoto Protocol, or agreement, set new goals for carbon dioxide emissions.  By signing the protocol, the countries of the European Union and 37 other industrialized countries committed themselves to reducing their emissions by an average of 5 percent against 1990 levels, and this over the five-year period from 2008 to 2012.  

The Kyoto Protocol, however, had some serious weaknesses. For example, the United States never ratified it. Also, larger developing countries, such as China and India, died not commit themselves to specific limits on their emissions. Yet, the United States and China alone contribute about 40 percent of the global carbon dioxide emissions.   

Next time: Climate Summits/ The Copenhagen Summit

From the Awake!  magazine