After staunch denial that climate change was an occurring phenomenon during the Bush Administration, change has finally come to the international climate change debate. The Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, which is a group of 17 nations that represent about 80% of the world’s greenhouse emissions, has put forth a declaration that they will attempt to limit the rise in the earth’s average temperature. However, highlighting the deep rift between rich and poor countries, the declaration is scant on actual numbers or benchmarks.
The countries involved agreed to cooperate on funding research for clean technology, and to make a conscious effort to curb emissions. They also agreed that average global temperatures should not rise about 3.6 degrees higher than average temperatures over a century ago, before the industrial revolution. But all this may be moot if someone doesn’t act first.
The rich countries want developing nations to cut their carbon emissions, but the developing world would rather see the wealthier nations cut their emissions first, while subsidizing their switch to cleaner fuels and energy. While each nation has the right to attempt to better their nations, sometimes at the expense of others, in this instance if no one can concede, we will all lose.
President Obama has made it clear that the developing world has less to bargain with, as developing countries like Brazil, China and India are among the world’s biggest polluters. However, this statement should be taken with a grain of salt, as the United States is likewise one of the worst polluters on the planet.
The declaration was made after the G8 had stated its goal to reduce carbon emissions by 80% by the year 2050. This was the only concrete number laid out by the G8, further frustrating developing countries, which see wealthy nations as unwilling to make the cuts that they ask of others.
