Environmental Issues

The 192 countries meeting in Copenhagen in an attempt to hammer out a deal on combating climate change failed to reach any meaningful and quantifiable agreement. China and the USA, both responsible for 40  of the total global emission, are largely responsible for the state of affairs because of their mutual suspicion. During the talks, cost emerged as the biggest stumbling block to any international agreement. Economists have identified two types of costs that will arise in dealing with climate change. The first use will be in helping the fast industrializing countries such as Brazil and India convert to clean energy while the second use of the funds will be for helping poor countries cope with the negative effects of climate change. With the European Union having pledged to cut down its emissions by 20 by 2020, the onus is on China and the US to play their roles in combating climate change.

Topic With above average 2009, first decade of the 2000s is warmest on record
    The 2000-09 decade has now been found to have been the warmest on record. In particular, 2009 was found to have been 1.01 degrees above average, which makes the year the fifth warmest. This higher average of 2009 also helped push the decades average temperature to 0.96 above normal which surpasses a previous record held by the 1990s that stood at 0.65. This steep rise in temperatures is expected to bring about increased frequency of natural disasters, crop failure, disruption of wildlife patterns and loss of species that will be unable to adapt to the change. Last year also saw a number of climate milestones that included, winter drought in Texas, the worst tornado in Oklahoma, largest wildfire in Los Angeles County and many other unfavorable climate milestones. However, with all these tell tale signs the political leadership is still unable to hammer out a deal that would lead to a reduction of greenhouse gases.