The Paris Climate Summit: A Useful Failure
The specifics aren't great, but the framework of common human values is important.
Views from the Anthropocene.
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On the surface, the outcome of the Paris climate summit falls far short of what is needed to save the planet from global warming. Then again, maybe practical success isn’t the measure by which it should be judged.
Many people are thrilled by what happened in Paris. Nations large and small volunteered to make cuts in their carbon emissions, and also to participate in a program of regular assessment and adjustment every five years starting in 2020. It's possible that further cuts will come, and that, aided by new technologies, humanity will eventually find a solution to climate change.