Climate change, one of many issues of the 21st century

The journey to Durban 2011

May 19th 2011

Op-ed piece

by David Coindreau

Take a deep breath. It just might be your last. The population is growing in non-stabilized regions and at the same time is decreasing in those where historically we have looked back for guidance. How did we get where we are today? Why would someone decide to go out of his home to dedicate his/her life for the belief of making a change for a greater good and why would another one give up his/hers to blow up and end the breath of others? Think just think. The questions looming through my head are just too many. I want to answer all of them, but I know it would be nearly impossible. Instead, I chose to concentrate on an issue that has seemingly recently slipped and passed through the eyes of the world with no idea on how to move forward Climate Change. With population rising from 1.6 billion to more than 6 billion during the 20th century, along with the emergence and growth of the Industrial Revolution, the issue of Global Warming started to get attention until 1975 with Wally Broeckers paper Are we on the brink of a pronounced global warming?, but seeing that the planet was not only getting warmer but also colder, scientists decided to call it Climate Change later on. In March 21, 1994 an international treaty called the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was adopted with the objective of establishing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) in the atmosphere to a level that prevents dangerous anthropogenic interference. By December 2009, it had 192 members and all of them gather annually at the Conferences Of the Parties (COP) to cover the progress. It was in COP3, in 1997, when the Kyoto Protocol was signed to establish legal obligations to developed countries to reduce GHG emissions, however, the protocol didnt begun officially until February 2005 because of the abstinence of Australia, Russia, and the United States to sign it. In November 2004 Russia opted to sign and the minimum requirements were met. Today, only the United States and Afghanistan have either declared no intention to ratify what was discussed in Kyoto 14 years ago, as it is the case of the former or have not expressed its position, as its the case of the latter. Many scientists have risen their hand saying all climate change is just a hoax and that it is just part of a big political scandal, and as a consequence almost all of them have been either kicked out of the UNFCCC or never gotten enough attention. Somehow the world prefers to read about the world coming to an end rather than business as usual, and this applies to any subject. Which headline do you find more appealing? Scientists confirm actions are necessary or Netherlands is bound to disappear by 2020 or According to scientists climate change is just part of an earth cycle. But either way, as Mario Molina, a Mexican Nobel Prize winner and deep advocate for Climate Change said: Imagine if Im wrong now, imagine if Im right and we didnt do anything. High expectations arose in 2009 with COP15 in Copenhagen when political leaders from all nations gathered to decide how the world should control GHG emissions in order to preserve and grow in a sustainable way. The problem is aligning everyone, even further; the problem is aligning China and the United States. One says the other

should be controlled since they are the biggest emitter, the other says they should be allowed to grow as other nations have done so for many decades. Who is right? Should the world wait until they decide what needs to be done? With almost half of the worlds emissions, all attention is given to them. During Copenhagen, at the heart of negotiations and when every hope was coming to an end, a special meeting took place to arrange and decide the future. A small room gathered the main leaders, including Obama from the United States and a representative from China (one of the few countries that didnt sent their political leader, I wonder why), and an insider told me everyone was aligned, except our Asian friend, and as a result a non-binding agreement was signed with no true power as to what to expect. A year later came Cancun, and it lived up to everyones expectations, the difference was that there werent any. Now comes COP17 at Durban in late 2011 and with Kyoto phasing away and a European Union tired of taking the lead too many questions come to my mind. Will the United States or China take matters into their own hands? What can we do to implement a better strategy for the future of our environment? Where do we start? Is hope over? The process and progress has been slow and although there is a global mindset to do something, there are several restrictions including global population, economic growth, increase in energy demand and difference in opinions across United States, China and the European Union. What to do? Think just think. We were taught not to only raise questions, but to also think of answers. According to the Stern Review1 65% of emissions are due to energy (having 86% due to fossil fuels), with the rest concerning land-use, agriculture and waste. But do you know which is the greenhouse gas that contributes the most? Heres a hint: its not CO2. In reality, it is water vapor contributing between 36% and 72% of the effect, depending who you ask. The rest could in part be contributed to us, and anyone could blame a country or an industry, but who is to blame are you and I, the consumers. We decide what goes in the market; we demand it and it is supplied. The other problem is efficiency. Did you know a car is able to convert only between 35% to 45% of the total energy to get the car moving?, the rest is wasted. For electricity generation it is even worse. If I were to simplify two important aspects to get things moving without going to the hassle of getting the whole country to implement something it would be: i) change the consumers behavior 2 and ii) encompass a global energy trading framework 3 and develop a technology think tank4 to eliminate energy waste. Why should we engage on it? Because I believe it is in the better part of us the belief of making a change rather than ending another ones breath.

One of the most valued reports made on Climate Change Living in Switzerland and in Mexico is a complete different world when dealing with just the concept of recycling, imagine how much can be done on other subjects through all the world 3 The concept behind a global energy trading framework would be to eliminate loss of energy trading by supplying from different sources on energy terms and eliminating intermediaries: global energy prices 4 Share of best practices all around the world on industries that contribute to the biggest pie in GHG emissions 2