The Paris Accords are not a magical solution to the world’s ills. As a static document, what was signed will not solve climate change, will not prevent many degrees Celsius of warming. They do, however, bring to the table every key nation with agreed-on commitments for action and, even more importantly, have a built ‘ratcheting process’ that will enable a race to accelerate progress in the years and decades to come.
Thus, let me join others greeting with celebration its going into effect …
even while recognizing that there is much, much work to be done …
5 responses so far ↓
1 John Egan // Nov 8, 2016 at 11:36 pm
No. The Paris Accords will not go into effect. They are going to be gutted by the Trump administration.
And it is something which I have been trying to point out to you for ten years. Because you and other kept upping the climate ante – among other issues – you drove more and more people away from progressive and moderate views into the hands of right-wing populists. Not just in the U.S. but in countries across Europe, too. How much climate legislation do you think you are going to get out of Trump and a Tea Party Congress??
2 John Egan // Nov 9, 2016 at 9:47 am
Adam – I know you have seen my previous comment –
you don’t get many visitors and blogging is just passe. Our concerns – even the manner in which we present them – are increasingly irrelevant to the younger generation.
I hold Clinton herself responsible for her loss – but I do hold you in part responsible, as well, for stoking an atmosphere which made a Trump more viable. I distinctly recall when you abruptly changed the terms of our discourse and spoke to me in disparaging language
as if I were some sort of Neanderthal. I am educated and a lifelong progressive – so I could brush it off.
But when you do it to a large segment of the American public, they will give you the middle finger. And they just did.
I have also engaged you about the connection between climate issues – particularly when they take priority over core economic issues – and the growth of right-wing populism worldwide. Well, welcome to that reality. Every one of the right-wing demagogues uses climate over-reach in their arsenal of weapons.
Am I a bit harsh? You betcha. And I am harsh precisely because you chose to change those terms and claim a hubristic moral high ground. I would posit to you that your so-called high ground is now quicksand.
3 A Siegel // Nov 13, 2016 at 2:26 pm
To emphasize the disingenuous (or outright deceitful) nature of attacking me, here is substance from one item that I linked above:
Look at those six bullets — at least three (and more honestly four) directly address the issue arenas/constituencies that you falsely assert that I somehow casually, cynically, or otherwise ignore. There are easily hundreds of my posts and concepts along these lines, seeking to find and share paths for creating value streams while attacking climate change. With me, all you have done is continuously (falsely) assert that ‘green’ is the reason for downfall of progressive policy and tarring me as somehow the instigator of/in the middle of all the policies that you attack/despise.
Also, you do seem to forget that there are a myriad of issues in this campaign and the failure of Clinton to get across the line.
In addition, it is rather sad that you share/support the “right-wind demagogues” truthiness, abusiveness, and outright reality rejection in their attacks on efforts to address “climate”. It is, according to you, the people who are actually trying to associate themselves with science and knowledge who are at fault for America’s potential decline into a realm of anti-science dark age.
4 John Egan // Nov 13, 2016 at 7:13 pm
Still can’t claim the error in your ways – even with devastating losses. Not just in the U.S. but throughout Europe, too.
My argument has never denied the science, but acknowledged that the political possibilities were more constrained. It’s an argument that Dr. Judith Curry and Bjorn Lomborg have used. Of course, those two have been thoroughly discredited by climate activists.
How dare they disagree.
You can have all the science in the world, but if you don’t have the legislators, governors, and presidents – you can’t get to first base. And we are at that juncture today.
So, thank you. I hope you are happy.
It’s your baby.
5 You are not the only one seeing emergence of dystopian nightmare in America // Nov 14, 2016 at 3:14 pm
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