https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/11/us-china-joint-announcement-climate-change
In November, the White House announced that the leaders of the United States and China were working together to create a protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2025. More importantly, the potential agreement would carry enforceable legal ramifications if one party were to break the protocol. An enforcement mechanism has long been the sticking point of the Chinese government (and to a degree the United States) that has stalled meaningful change in global environmental policy. Enforcement was generally considered the reason the Kyoto protocol failed.
While many blame globalization and capitalism for global warming, international research has put environmental issues in the forefront of international politics. As part of the US-China agreement the two states have started the U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center and U.S.-China Climate Change Working Group to research way in which industries can reduce emission. While these organizations maybe more political than scientific, international research into climate change is the reason these organizations exist. The proliferation of information across the globe has not only discovered the pitfalls of climate change, but technological innovations from inventors all over the world have led to an increase of technologies that reduce emissions. Part of the press release issued by the White House is the commitment to increase information of technologies between the US and China in an effort to reduce greenhouse gasses. Only time will tell if these new commitments by the US and China are real or just more political posturing.
Really good about that we didn't cover in class about the globalization of scientific knowledge being important in the presence of climate change on the international agenda.
ReplyDeleteSo from the way you frame this it appears that it could be something of a race. Will the globalizing processes that degrade the environment 'finish the job' before the globalizing processes that can save it are able to have an effect?
Well, I hope for my own sake that humans are able to reverse environmental degradation before it causes serious consequences ( ie. the world becomes the world of "The Windup Girl". However, their needs to be a shift in values for that to happen, and I do not foresee such a shift being precautionary, only reactionary.
ReplyDeleteNoah I like your analysis and share the same fear as you that this could be more political posturing by the US and China. While reducing greenhouse gas emissions is a great goal to have it is also a popular move that people will support which can instantly raise public and global opinion. Hopefully they follow through and are able to reduce emissions and have other countries follow their lead.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I agree with your wariness over the possibility of US and China only using this coalition as a mean for public support and the bolstering of popular opinion. While there is a dire need for a coalition such as this for the sake of environmental sustainability and protection, I am skeptical over the willingness of either party to implement actual policy which will decrease greenhouse gas emissions. Do you (or anyone else involved in this thread) think that global leaders will be willing to sacrifice public opinion for the sake of environmental protection? We could relate this to Tim Burke's article on the need to change the human conscience to one that is more forward-focused as it relates to the environment.
DeleteResponding to Sarah's question, I don't think that global leaders will be willing to sacrifice public opinion for the sake of environmental protection. Public opinion is a powerful thing and ultimately, the leaders will in most cases do what the people want. As Michael said, hopefully helping the environment will become a popular goal and it can then be taken on by leaders and implemented. The sentiment has to be among the people before it can be an issue for the government.
DeleteAt the same time, public opinion and environmental protection could someday become the same. If people become directly effected by environmental changes, then the public will likely start to put pressure on the government to increase environmental protection.
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