Horowitz: Progress on the Climate in Paris

Tuesday, December 01, 2015

Rob Horowitz, GoLocalProv MINDSETTER™

Rob Horowitz

Capping a year of significant breakthroughs and progress in climate policy, the two week Climate Summit just getting underway in Paris will likely highlight, formalize and expand on the major understandings already achieved. As the New York Times reports, for the first time, unless things really go awry, a formal agreement that commits “nearly every nation on earth to lowering its greenhouse gas production" will be reached.

More than 170 nations have already submitted their plans to lower greenhouse gas production, including major developing nations such as China and Brazil, which have done so as part of bi-lateral agreements with the United States. These bi-lateral agreements are of such major significance not only because China is the world’s largest carbon emitter and Brazil contains the Amazon, which must be retained as a carbon sink, but also because, up until recently, developing nations resisted making any commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that global warming is a problem created by the West, which industrialized earlier, and should primarily be solved by the United States and Europe. This response made it more difficult to generate action.

A robust new renewable energy fund fueled by a public-private partnership spurred by Bill Gates who personally recruited investors and committed $1 billion of his own funds will help nations speed the transition from fossil fuels to renewable sources. This initiative, announced yesterday on the first day of formal Summit business, will greatly expand the funding for research and development of clean technology. It builds on the major market gains being achieved by solar and wind worldwide-which has resulted in major price reductions.

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The fact that we are poised for success in Paris is primarily a result of the United States new found credibility on climate created by a series of tough Executive Actions by President Obama, including major increases in fuel economy requirements for cars and trucks and new limitations on carbon emissions at coal-fired power plants. These actions, coupled with aggressive and persistent diplomacy by the President and Secretary of State John Kerry set the stage.

The fact that the summit is occurring in Paris in the wake of deadly terrorist attacks, provides a bit of added impetus for the world’s major powers to demonstrate what nations that come together peacefully can do to solve major world problems. Despite the predictable and empty criticism by some Republicans who seem to be attempting to say that prioritizing the climate means the President doesn’t care about terrorism, President Obama’s words on this topic ring true: “What a powerful rebuke to the terrorists it will be when the world stands as one and shows it will not be deterred from building a better future for our children.”