Cancun Climate Summit Ends With Modest Yet Hopeful Deal

The 193 countries that gathered last week in Cancun, Mexico in hopes of working out a global deal on climate change did not meet in vain. They concluded talks on Saturday with a modest yet important deal known as the Cancun Agreements which commits all the world’s major economies to greenhouse gas reductions and establishes a $100 billion/year green climate fund to help the developing world deal with climate change and stop deforestation.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that much more could and should have been accomplished. The United States, Russia and Japan were negative influences on the conference. Russia and Japan stymied any continuation of the Kyoto Protocol and the US commitment to greenhouse gas reduction has been described as “meager.”

The reductions are voluntary to all parties, the climate change fund will be administered by the dubious World Bank and the new agreement allows for a global temperature rise of four degrees, which the Bolivian delegation describes as “genocidal.”

Bolivia will appeal the Cancun Agreements in the International Court of Justice.

Moral Low Ground cautiously welcomes the modest deal, although we do feel nations could have accomplished much more. Now the nations of the world must ensure that they follow through on the promises made at Cancun. Nothing less than the very fate of the world as we know it is on the line.

Tagged $100 billion green climate fund, Bolivia, Cancun, Cancun Agreements, climate change deal, deforestation, genocide, greenhouse gas reductions, International Court of Justice, Japan, Kyoto Protocol, Mexico, Russia, United States, World Bank