Wednesday, August 08, 2012
Calling for “flexibility” in the battle against global warming, the Obama administration is fighting a proposed international goal for limiting increases in global temperatures.
At issue is a target established at the 2010 United Nations’ climate convention, when governments agreed to limit the earth’s warming by two degrees Celsius (2C).
Many in the U.S. say the goal is not realistic. This argument has angered many countries, such as island nations, that are most at risk of climate change effects like rising ocean levels.
The European Union also has criticized the U.S. stance.
“Suddenly abandoning our agreement to keep global warming below 2C is to give up the fight against climate change before it even begins,” Tony de Brum, minister in assistance for the Marshall Islands, told the BBC News.
De Brum added, “For many low-lying island states, including my own, that is not a solution—it is a death sentence.”
-Noel Brinkerhoff
To Learn More:
US Criticised on 2C Climate 'Flexibility' Call (by Richard Black, BBC News)
Controlling Two Pollutants Could Cut Global Warming in Half: U.N. Report (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)
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