Inadequate pledges for Paris - planet doesn't stand a chance

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f the climate pledges countries have submitted are any indication of whether the world can save itself with a global climate treaty, the planet doesn’t stand a chance.

More than 140 countries have submitted plans to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on how they will reduce carbon dioxide emissions to fight climate change. These countries account for about 90 percent of global emissions. They form the basis for final treaty negotiations that will take place in Paris in December.

Read the Inside Climate News story - “Climate Treaty Forecast: Cloudy With a Chance of Disaster”.

U.N. gives a clue on likely Paris agreement

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ith less than two months before the world’s leaders convene in Paris for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the U.N. has released a new preliminary draft of what an international climate agreement — the purpose of the two-week convention — might look like.

While the new draft is sparse on specific details, it does include a commitment by the world’s governments to hold global warming at 2°C compared to pre-industrial levels, the threshold that scientists generally agree is required to stave off irreversible consequences of climate change. The new draft also stipulates that nations should readdress their limits on greenhouse gas emissions every five years, a requirement that environmentalists championed at negotiations in Bonn in early September.

Read the ClimateProgress story - “What Will A Global Agreement On Climate Change Look Like? The U.N. Just Gave Us A Clue.”

Offset your emissions with a few clicks on new 'Climate Neutral' website

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o avoid the worst effects of climate change, science tells us we must limit global temperature rise to less than 2 degrees Celsius.

To keep our communities healthy and safe we need a climate neutral world. This is achievable but will require action from ALL of us. YOU can take action now by measuring, reducing and offsetting.

Even with our best efforts to reduce, our daily activities and business operations will result in unavoidable emissions. This is why offsetting, after measuring and reducing, is key for achieving a climate neutral world. Offsetting benefits the whole planet, not just the country in which the emissions are reduced.

Check-out this new United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change website - “Go Climate Neutral Now.”

Thoughtful people everywhere hoping for Paris success

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houghtful people everywhere, it seems, want this year’s climate conversations in Paris to be a success.

One of those is America’s Sierra Club who has produced a strikingly simple short video that explains what is needed.

Paris will host the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): a long and important name for a conference with even more important results.

The COP21 will be addressing the increasingly critical issue of climate disruption and what exactly we, as a global community, will do about it.

Watch the video here on the Sierra Club’s website.

Most concerned about climate change and endorse action to combat it

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lmost 80 per cent of citizens across the globe are very concerned about the impacts of climate change, but close to 70 per cent also see action to combat it as an opportunity to improve their quality of life.

These are among the findings of the largest ever citizen consultation on climate change carried out by the more than 100 partners of the World Wide Views Alliance in the run up to the UN Climate Change Conference in Paris (COP 21), taking place this December.

The debate and citizen consultation, conducted on a single day in 75 countries starting in Fiji in the Pacific and ending in Arizona in the United States, involved 10,000 people carefully selected for being demographically representative of their countries.

Read the UN Climate Change Newsroom story - “Surprising Citizens’ Views on Climate Change: Close to Three Quarters Say Action Will Boost Quality of Life”.

From Shepparton to Bonn, George continues to articulate our confusion

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eorge Marshall visited and spoke in Shepparton earlier this year and here he is in Bonn, Germany, helping us understand more about the confusion around climate change.

The Bonn conference, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change attracted people from all around the world, including George Marshall, who helps us see the dilemma through a whole different prism.

Take six minutes and watch this YouTube clip - “Interview with George Marshall, Climate Outreach Information Network”.

Paris in December - the stakes could not be higher

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rance will host the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) this December in Paris.

The stakes could not be higher.

Twenty-three years after the signing of the Framework Convention, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are still rising fast, dangerously disrupting the climate system, and posing a grave threat to sustainable development in all countries.

Read the preliminary statement and download the report here - “Key Elements for Success on Climate Change Mitigation at COP21 in Paris”.

The stakes could not be higher

The stakes could not be higher.

In December 2015, the Government of France will host the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Paris.

Twenty-three years after the signing of the Framework Convention, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are still rising fast, dangerously disrupting the climate system, and posing a grave threat to sustainable development in all countries.

Avoiding highly dangerous climate change will require sustained efforts and profound changes in the world’s energy systems, land-use patterns, and socio-economic development trajectories.

The global agreement reached at COP21 in Paris must be a decisive turning point for the world’s efforts to fight climate change. COP21 will be the last chance to adopt a global agreement that makes it possible to secure a safe climate.

Read the full report here: “Key Elements for Success on Climate Change Mitigation at COP21 in Paris”.