Something big happened in Paris recently. On December 12, following two weeks of negotiations, representatives from 196 nations agreed to adopt a landmark climate agreement more ambitious than anything like it in history.
With scientists continuing to warn about the severity of our situation and the ticking time clock we have to enact serious change, we are in a pivotal moment in history. Let’s break it down.
These plans do not actually take effect until 2020. The five-year gap is for nations to develop plans to meet the goals outlined in the plan. Every five years, each nation’s targets will be reevaluated in order to meet the important 2-degree mark.
The deal must be agreed upon by each nation’s government between April 1, 2016 and April 1, 2017. Once 55 nations have signed on to the agreement, representing at least 55% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, the plan will go into effect.
Unfortunately, in the U.S., we have a major political party who actively denies the existence of climate change. Know where your political candidate stands, because without policy, there can be no comprehensive change.
Finally, as noted environmental activist Bill McKibben has helpfully pointed out, this agreement, though aggressive, will not stop climate change on its own. Paris represents the starting point of something big, but there is still much work to be done.
We can’t sit back and relax. It’s just too important.
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