Kyoto Protocol (1997)
Check out this video explaining in a very intuative way how climat change negotiations are going on… or are they? What do you think.
Climate change is not man-made
There are people, among them scientists, that do not believe in “man-made” climat change. They have several arguments against it.
The Telegraph published an article in 2015, right after the Paris Agreement, stating “10 reasons why we shouldn’t worry about ‘man-made’ global warming”. It is argued that thousand years ago the world was hotter than it is today, this would have been a time where humans where not producing GHG emittions. The author also states that the Arctic ice is not further melting but in fact recovering and gained 30% back from 2013 to 2014.
The article has for sure interesting reasons why we shouldn’t worry further about our involvement in climat change. Check it out and make your own opinion about it!
Paris Agreement
As discussed in the International Strategies II lecture, the Paris Agreement was negotiated by representatives of 196 parties at the 21st Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC in Paris and adopted by consensus on 12 December 2015.
In 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump withdraw the United States from the agreement. One of his arguments to support this decision was the possible “economic burdens the agreement imposes” to the country. However, the Paris Agreement is a voluntary agreement and no country is obliged to cooperate, on the contrary, they choose to do what is right for the Planet.
This article, from Climate Change News, presents a very interesting discussion about why is important that the agreement is voluntary and possible political impacts for both developed and developing countries. It is worth reading!
What do you think? Is the Paris Agreement and its voluntary actions good enough?
Is veganism 100% sustainable?
A lot has been said about reducing meat consumption, becoming vegetarian or even vegan. But can we associate directly that being vegan is being sustainable, 100%? Is it that simple?
As every challenge and situation in our interconnected world today, becoming vegan does not make you a sustainable person and can, in fact, be less sustainable than other options, depending on the case. The reason for this is that our food system today is extremely interconnected and interdependent. You can buy products from basically anywhere in the world and have a constant food supply throughout the entire year.
That is why, when deciding what to eat, more information is always necessary! As presented in the Sustainable Consumption lecture, it is good to choose organic, local and seasonal food. That is the best way to choose the lowest carbon footprint option.
This subject is depicted in the article Why veganism isn’t as environmental friendly as you might think and even though we highly encourage you reducing your meat consumption, we also want you to think broader on the subject, considering all the aspects that make something sustainable.
Development for all in a safe planet: is it possible?
We have some big goals to achieve this century. We need to support developing countries to improve their economies, reducing poverty and inequalities. meanwhile, developed countries are not expected to decrease their life standards. And we have to sustain this growth and increased demand from the global popullation without overcoming the planetary boundaries. The situation leads to the question: is it really possible?
Short answer: yes, it is. It has to be, if we don’t want to face some more serious consequences. However, to do so, many changes have to be done – in the way we do business, politics and in each individual lifestyle. There is no simple solution, but the anwers to the problem are there and are getting clearer every time a new research pops up.
Long answer: check it out in this article and get inspired!