Holding the Line at 2°
Monday, November 30, 2015
For the next two weeks, officials from 195 countries will meet in Paris to discuss what world governments can do about the problem of climate change. The 2015 Paris Climate Conference, also called COP21, aims to reach an agreement on climate in order to keep global temperatures from rising more than 3.6 °F (2 °C) from levels in the mid-1800’s. COP21 is an acronym for the 21st annual session of the Conference of the Parties.
Global warming is an increase in the average temperature at Earth’s surface, referring specifically to the warming observed since the mid-1800’s. If it continues unchecked, it may melt ice on land near Earth’s poles, raising sea levels; lead to widespread droughts; and cause certain plant and animal species to become extinct. Natural processes have caused Earth’s climate to change in the distant past. But scientists have found strong evidence that human activities have caused most of the warming since the mid-1900’s. Such activities include the release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, where they trap heat like a blanket around Earth.
World governments face many challenges in creating a viable agreement and averting global climate disaster. For instance, countries are divided over whether or not the agreement should be a legally binding treaty. Because of the difficulty of getting such a treaty approved in his home country, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday that he did not expect the agreement to be legally binding. Other leaders, however, such as French President François Hollande, have insisted that the agreement must be legally binding so that the international community can ensure that countries meet their targets.
COP21 is focused on preventing temperatures from rising more than 3.6 °F (2 °C) from pre-industrial levels. However, scientists estimate that Earth’s average surface temperature has already risen by about 1.4 °F (0.76 °C). Also, greenhouse gases continue to heat Earth for many years, so global temperatures will continue to rise for decades, even if humans stop producing greenhouse gases today. Furthermore, some scientists and the governments of coastal countries—which would bear the brunt of the impact of climate change—argue that such a temperature increase will still have dire global consequences. Whatever the case, the Paris conference is the best chance humanity has today to avoid further environmental and humanitarian disaster.
Additional World Book articles:
- Greenhouse effect
- The Great Meltdown (a special report)
- Probing the History of Climate Change (a special report)
- What We Know About Climate Change (a special report)