Last weekend, leaders from 196 countries approved the first global agreement aimed at limiting greenhouse gas emissions, a milestone in human history. President Obama has been considered a deciding figure in the agreement, as Obama’s climate change agenda has been hidden within the administration’s actions since the president’s first month in office. Now suddenly, we are seeing the fruits of that labor, which have been taking place for some time without any fanfare. The climate change agreement is without a doubt a triumph of international diplomacy, and proof that leaders from different countries around the world can come together for a common cause, something that will greatly affect future generations, long after everyone alive today has turned to dust. Some are calling this the Obama administration’s most important accomplishment, and it doesn’t matter what side of the isle you’re on, the agreement is a tremendous achievement, not only for the president but for human kind.
The Eiffel Tower lights up with the slogan”Action Now”referring to the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015. Negotiators adopted a draft climate agreement Saturday that was cluttered with brackets and competing options, leaving ministers with the job of untangling key sticking points in what is envisioned to become a lasting, universal pact to fight global warming. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)
Observations about the agreement:
- In pitching the scenario to the international community, the Obama administration made several key observations. First, climate change is an issue like no other. This isn’t something that can be fixed with a legislative session, or executive order. The damage from climate change is irreversible. Melted glaciers cannot easily be re-frozen, and rising sea levels cannot be easily dropped. Extinct species may be impossible to resurrect and flooded coastal cities are likely gone forever. Most scientists agree that if we don’t act now to limit greenhouse gas emissions, the scale will tip and humanities’ only option will be constant damage control and eventually a planet that is no longer suitable for mankind.
- Also, it was in 1990 that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change called for a global treaty to limit the effects of greenhouse gas. For the last quarter of a century the United Nations has failed to organize effective world action. Even in the face of deadly and dire warnings that our actions were having a grave impact on the planet, the international community has avoided coming together on an agreement.
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