As nations of the world meet at COP27 in Egypt to negotiate next steps to address climate change, we desperately need to improve this international process. Instead of vague promises that might be broken, we need enforcement systems to build trust between countries, so we can be sure everyone will follow through on their commitments. Economic sanctions used against Russia after their invasion of Ukraine taught us a lot about what’s possible. Now we need to apply what the world has learned. Today, I explain. Thanks for listening.
Resources:
Carbon Dioxide Emissions Increased in 2022 as Crises Roiled Energy Markets
New York Times – 11/10/22
Climate Pledges Are Falling Short, and a Chaotic Future Looks More Like Reality
New York Times – 10/26/22
Cop27 host accuses countries of making empty public pledges
The Guardian – 11/4/22
This is the United Nations detailed assessment of how the world is falling short on emissions reductions:
Emissions Gap Report 2022
UN Environment Programme
No sign of decrease in global CO2 emissions
Global Carbon Budget – 11/11/22
The above report states, among other things, “If current emissions levels persist, there is now a 50% chance that global warming of 1.5°C will be exceeded in nine years.”
Why scientists are using the word scary over the climate crisis
The Guardian – 11/7/22