We’re all in this together – can we trust each other to do the right thing ?

A historical moment.

From November 30th to December 11th, Paris will hold one of the most anticipated events in recent years, the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21). A decisive conference with the big ambition to reach a universal agreement that will allow countries to tackle climate change efficently and encourage a global transition in relation to resilient, low-carbon societies and economies. The overall aim is to keep global warming below 2 degrees celsius. The Cop21 comes at a time, when we as a world face the force of climate change and their devastating impacts like never before.

Climate change is considered to be the greatest threat that humans have to deal within the 21st century. I strongly believe that we as humanity have the power to overcome this global challenge.

I think this underlines perfectly why climate change is such a complex issue, as action cannot be taken by one single country, it would be against their self-interest. For this reason it is essential that international cooperation between nations is undertaken, yet it is easier said than done !

Naturally, countries that are still in a phase of development have a different angle than the more economically developed countries with respect to climate policy. With a bit of historical context, that angle makes sense as we all know that over the past century or more the most amass of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is due to intense economic activity by richer nations. Therefore the significance behind terms such as climate justice or equity for countries that are still in the process of development does make sense. However further to this, it is crucial to point out that in recent years we have noticed a significant increase in the attribution of shared global emissions by developing countries such as China or India. In fact, India is one of the largest carbon dioxide emitters in the world; it emmited 2.4billion metric tones of CO2 !

This leads us to question ourselves about the impact of seriously cutting down greenhouse gas emissions on our current economy ? Would this hinder economic growth and prosperity ?

In my view it is in the human nature to grow, not only from an economic perspective but also from a human and social point of vue. We live in a period of such great opportunities, where climate action and economic growth can go hand-in-hand. The years to come will be crucial for both the ecosystem and the human well-being as our economy will have to go through various structural changes.

The promotion of green growth as an essential form of growth is key to acheiving sustainable development. Green growth has the benefits of tackling two main issues at the same time, where both inclusive sustainable economic growth is made possible by increasing our environmental management efficency.

Germany, being one of largest economies in Europe is the perfect example of how a country can both achieve economic growth and tackle issues related to climate change. They have taken a proactive approach to environmental policy, both at a national and international level. Germany managed to reach high levels of resource productivity amid the various OECD nations, and is one of the first nations to significantly reduce GHG emissions while its GDP continued to experience growth. They aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by 2020 and 80% by 2050.

Germany’s transition to a green economy can set an example for many other countries, however the key question here is could their economy can be replicated to countries still in the early phase of development ? This is particularly critical for developing nations, as they are more vulnerable to environmental hazards due to their geographical locations.

The climate change challenge thus come at a unfavorable time for developping countries, who are currently experiencing rapid growth. The scale of changes needed will have huge costs involved, which developping nations will not be able to commit to alone. Therefore it should be for richer nations to set up a climate fund to ease the global transition to a green economy. We need to take a long term-term vision to this global transition, as the result will oversee a boost in the global living standards and enhance life quality for all future generations, while dealing with issues such as the scarcity of resources and climate change.

What should we expect from the the Cop 21 ?

Everything that was mentioned above is easily said but will it be easily achievable ?! We should expect countries to go there with the mentality that this summit will not be a quick fix to the climate change issues that we are currently faced with. However, an essential foundation to the start of a long-term solution. A plan that will require continuous reviews, agreements and efforts by all the parties involved.

Edouard Leonet

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