This Saturday, delegates from nearly 200 Nations came to an agreement to further prevent global climate change, and to promote environmental sustainability, at COP21. The 21st “Conference of Parties,” took place in Paris over the past weeks and unlike past global initiatives such as the Kyoto Protocol in 1997; included far more nations, regardless of wealth or power.
The conference ended with the implementation of the final draft of a proposal from French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, which can be summarized into a few key goals for the future, of which, the UN hopes all nations will adopt:
- To cut and eventually eliminate all greenhouse gas emissions
- To limit the global temperature rise well below 2 degrees Celsius (striving for 1.5 Celsius)
- Calls on developed nations to give $100 billion annually to developing nations to help poorer regions combat climate change and develop greener economies
- Notably; Canada has promised $2.65 billion (over 5 years) to this initiative
- Urged all countries to establish individual greenhouse gas reduction targets, greater than their current goals
- These targets will be reviewed and revised every 5 years, post 2023
- The resolution sets the goal of being globally carbon-neutral for sometime after 2050, but before 2100
- This goal can only be met through the cooperation of all nations, who all take an effort to limit the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by human activity, and look towards sustainable resources and “green economies”
- Global scientists believe that the world will have to cease emitting greenhouse gases altogether in the next 50 years in order to achieve this goal
As for what this means for Canada; Prime Minister Justin Trudeau explained:
We will move towards a climate resilient economy, and we will invest in public transit, green infrastructure and clean technologies to create new jobs and support our communities,” he said. “Internationally, we will provide significant support to help developing countries reduce their emissions and deal with the impacts of climate change.
Canada will tackle climate change in 5 key steps, said the PM:
- Relying on scientific evidence and advice;
- Implementing policies to develop a low-carbon economy, including carbon pricing;
- Working with provincial and territorial leaders, city mayors and indigenous leaders to coordinate efforts;
- Helping developing nations adapt to climate change challenges;
- Approaching climate change as an opportunity to build a sustainable green economy, rather than just a challenge
All in all, this has truly been a historic weekend, and one that will certainly impact the future of us all. What do you think about the plan proposed at COP21? Share your thoughts with the hashtag #ParisAgreement.
