Political Will

THE SOAPBOX bit

1995. Confronted by mounting scientific evidence, the UN convened COP-1 in Berlin hoping to marshal international co-operation to tackle climate change. Solving the problem sounds eye-wateringly expensive. But where there’s a will there’s a way to pay….

• $ 5 Bn invested in the CERN Large Hadron Collider. EU+Switzerland
• $ 10 Bn spent on London’s 2012 Olympics
• $ 150 Bn on the International Space Station – USA, Russia, Canada, Japan.

Justifiable expenditures all. Let’s also not forget………….

• $1,000+ Bn spent on the Iraq war by USA and UK.

Don’t be told that progress is too costly!

But as to Climate Change, Biodiversity – a preponderance of warm words and platitudes.

Since COP1,1995:

• Population has grown by a third from 5.7bn to 8bn.
• Wars as nations eye up control of dwindling resources.
• Mass Migration.
• Over 12 million deaths from malaria – half of these being infant children
• Global forest clearance for agriculture = area of Germany +France +Spain.
• 900 billion tonnes of CO₂ pumped out. That’s 5 tonnes per annum for each man woman and child.
• More volatile weather, energised by a global temp. up over 1 deg C.
• Glacier loss over 20%, Coral reef loss around 33%.
• 42 thousand species heading for extinction. Rhinos, gorillas, oranutans, right whales. Plants, insects, fish, reptiles. You name it.
• Over Twenty Five COP Climate Change conferences/ junkets. Errr…enough actionable commitment ?