Delegates reach historic climate agreement in Paris


Delegates applaud as the agreement is announced. Photo: Getty images

Delegates applaud as the agreement is announced. Photo: Getty images

According to the New York Times:

“At the heart of the new draft text is a breakthrough on an issue that has foiled decades of international efforts to address climate change. Traditionally, such pacts have required developed economies, such as the United States, to take action to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, but they have exempted developing countries, such as China and India, from such action.

The new accord changes that dynamic by requiring action in some form from every country, rich or poor….Scientists and world leaders have said the talks here represent the world’s last, best hope of striking a deal that would begin to avert the most devastating effects of a warming planet.”

Key provisions of the agreement include:

  • To review progress every five years
United Nations Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon, French President Hollande and delegates raise their arms in triumph. Photo: Reuters


Broad agreement across the globe is a necessary first step, but now the real work begins. Even if every nation meets its target, we will not reach the warming reduction goal. Nations will need to do more over time, and technology must improve if we are to get there. In the United States, the familiar political hurdles must be overcome if we are going to take a leadership position in the world.

The decisions that need to be made about shifting from fossil fuels to clean energy will ultimately have a huge impact on the future of the Montana economy, and will require a more rapid shift than we are currently planning for. The days of coal must end, and we will need to shift quickly from oil and gas to solar, wind, electric, and other clean sources.

But this is a great day, and a time for celebration.

Paris climate talks: the future of the planet is at stake

About davidjkatz

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6 Responses to Delegates reach historic climate agreement in Paris

  1. Lt. Col (Ret, Army) Rich Liebert says:

    Clean Energy ON THE MARCH, wake up legislators in denial here in Montana when they won’t PLAN ahead for Colstrip’s replacement with wind/nat. gas and instead ‘Pander and Panic’ and go on legislative junkets to Washington state to realize we’re moving to a LOW carbon economy which will provide a HELL of a lot more jobs than coal mines which have REDUCED labor every year, replacing ‘expensive’ humans with more machines to harvest the coal. GERMANY – where I served many years – IS THE LEADER with hardly the sun and wind we have but THEY have the will, determination and VISION to transition their energy system while we sit captive to the FOSSIL FOOLS, but the TIDE is turning folks and the Karbon Kings in severe panic, and I can tell use as far as the US military is concerned, GREEN is the NEW Red, White and Blue using energy-efficiency, solar, wind systems and research in fuel cells, hybrid engines and more!


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