There is still a hard road ahead, but progress on tackling the causes of global warming has far outstripped expectations
Reliable weather forecasting is notoriously difficult. But with two months to go, it looks as if the sun may shine on the Paris climate change summit in December. This is the 21st meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the climate change agreement. The first was opened in Berlin in 1995 by Germany’s environment minister, a young Angela Merkel, and that the political and economic landscape looks so favourable owes something to her lasting commitment.
Agreement is not a done deal, but countries responsible for 75% of the world’s carbon emissions have now set targets for cuts in carbon emissions. On Friday, India, which is now the third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, became the last of the major economies to file its pledge. It has promised to source 40% of its electricity from renewables by 2030. When the targets put forward by all the major polluters are assessed, it is reckoned that as long as they are honoured, these levels of emissions would hold global warming at 2.7C above the pre-industrial era. That is still too far above the 2C considered the limit to prevent dangerous climate change; but it is much lower than feared.
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Source: Guardian Environment