Megan McGee- Climate Change Treaty

For the past couple of decades, there has been a constant battle between lawmakers, scientists, skeptics, and environmentalists on the issue of global warming. The argument has been heating up within the last few years with new findings in research and future projections of the effects of climate change. There has been an unexpected decline in the rate of climate change which is causing skepticism to spread. A document is now in the works to be presented to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 830 scientists from all over the world are working together to compile thousands of pages worth of research to convince 190 countries to hopefully sign a climate treaty in Paris in the 2015. This treaty is expected to take effect in 2020 if countries are willing to sign.

In 2007, the members of the panel won the Nobel Peace Prize for their research and predictions regarding the rate of global warming. Recently, this document has been under a lot of scrutiny from skeptics. Predictions in 2007 have been overestimated. There has actually been a decrease in the rate of climate change since 1998. The predictions the panel previously made 6 years ago, estimated 1.1 to 6.4^oC gain by the year 2100. In the newest draft of the document, the prediction is now a 0.3-4.8^oC gain in 2100. This and other inaccuracies in the scientists’ predictions sparked the attention of the media. An Australian newspaper wrote an article named “We got it wrong on warming” on September 16^th.  Another article called “Now it’s global COOLING” was issued on September 8^th. A skeptic, Marc Morano claims that the IPCC had exaggerated the rate of climate change and also the rate of the melting glaciers in the Himalayas.

Scientists are baffled by this slower rate. Bob Ward, policy director at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics states, “The most favored explanation at the moment is that more of the heat absorbed by the oceans is being sucked down into deeper waters than before.” Scientists and activist are claiming that there is a very small amount of scientists that don’t agree with climate change. The skeptics are using these scientists to campaign and cause a widespread of uncertainty.

The document is due on September 27^th. The document will include facts stating that it is “extremely likely” that humans caused more than half of the temperature increases. The purpose of the document is to influence the population, skeptics, and politicians that global warming is indeed happening. It will hopefully open up doors for politicians to propose bills to be passed decreasing even more the amount of emissions allowed. Michal Jacobs, an activist stated, “They will absolutely absorb what it says. It will be without question the most significant document that has come out in this field since 2007.”

Whether their predictions are off, global warming still exists. Even if the rate of global warming has slowed, it is still increasing. Glaciers are still receding at remarkable rates, outrageous storms are happening, floods and droughts are occurring. It only takes a few skeptics with the right connections to cause a widespread of uncertainty with the general public. Although there were inaccuracies in their predictions, the earth has already warmed 0.89^oC since the industrial revolutions. It is undoubtedly linked to the carbon emissions that we have caused. It cannot be coincidences that since our emissions have increased the world has also been warming up. I hope that this treaty is signed and successful. I feel as though when tragedies happen in faraway places from us, we aren’t as compelled to do something or realize the severity. That is why the majority of people are unaware or don’t care about the effects in places like the Himalayas. Nations need to be on the same page with global warming and what they can do to make our earth a better place to live.

Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-09-22/global-warming-slowdown-hinders-climate-treaty-effort.html