U.S. claims “enormous” reductions in carbon emissions

At today’s United Nations Climate Change meeting in Doha, Qatar, American officials asserted the U.S. had made “enormous” advances that much of the world didn’t know about. As reported in The Guardian, American progress in climate change has resulted in part by the carbon reductions from its investments in the controversial practice of “fracking” for shale gas. As reported by Fiona Harvey,

“The claim came as nearly 200 governments gathered in Doha, Qatar, for two weeks of talks aimed at forging an agreement on the climate. Governments have until 2015 to draw up a binding treaty, the first since the 1997 Kyoto protocol, to cut greenhouse gas emissions and avoid dangerous global warming.

“Jonathan Pershing, a senior negotiator for the US, said: “Those who don’t know what the US is doing may not be informed of the scale and extent of the effort, but it’s enormous.”.

“In the past few weeks alone, authorities including the World Bank and the International Energy Agency have warned that the world is heading for unprecedented warning – of between 4C and 6C – if current trends are not reversed.

“Levels of warming on that scale would result in droughts, floods, heatwaves and fiercer storms, as well as declining agricultural productivity, plant and animal extinctions, and widespread human migration, according to scientists.

Leading U.N. official  Christina Figueres said “it was still possible for the world to cut emissions in time to avoid such a fate, but that it would take urgent action. She said: “Expert analysis consistently says that we do have the possibility to keep on track and that to act now is safer and much less costly than to delay.

“In the last three years, policy and action towards a sustainable, clean energy future has been growing faster than ever. But the door is closing fast because the pace and scale of action is simply not yet enough. So Doha must deliver its part in the longer-term solution.”

The host of the conference, Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah of Qatar’s Administrative Control and Transparency Authority, said: “Climate change is a common challenge for humanity. We must work in earnest for a better future for present and for future generations. We have a precious opportunity over the coming days, and we must make full use of it.”

 

 

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