The Paris Summit brought out a global agreement on curtailing the global warming. How much change is the treaty actually going to bring on mother earth?
Mona: All eyes were on Paris second time around in a month’s time. Only the top world leaders gathered the second time to save the earth. Paris Summit was extended by a day as 196 parties sat together to form a global agreement on the reduction of climate change. Two weeks of intense negotiations led to a deal to limit the rise in global temperature to less than 2C. India emerged a key player at the talks. Young turks from Chandigarh share their reflections on the treaty.
- Too good to be true: The United Nations Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP 21) comes across a goody goody deal for all nations from developed to developing, including the US, China, India and Iceland but it’s not comprehensive. While the aim is noble, who does what, when and how remains largely unlettered in order to curtail the rising temperature. It’s tougher for developing nations than the developed, for while we have to carry on development, industry being a significant key player in it; and, also cut our carbon footprint at the same time. Mostly so as majority of our huge population still lives in villages, we are still dependent on coal, thermal power and also unaware of what all the deal is about.— Pankaj Thakur, B Tech Electronics and computer science:
- Wait and watch: One good thing that comes out of COP 21 is that funds would be transferred to India but what remains to be seen is if they would put it to the intended use. While it is relatively easier for advanced nations to put regulations in practice, in developing countries the major thrust is on basic infrastructure, lifting its population above poverty level. Though the summit aims at cutting global warming, ‘how’ remains to be seen. The US and China, the most polluting countries in the world, though have pledged their support to the cause, it isn’t going to be an easy game either for them to follow the agreed guidelines. — Anil Sharma, B Sc, Biotech:
- How and when of it: Paris Climate Talks paved way for us to take responsibility for having disturbed the ecological balance and reversing it. The agreement keeps in mind the holistic view and has different expectations from countries in different stages of development. Like China is allowed to peak its industrial capacity before it joins hand with advanced countries to play a responsible part. But when and how is still fuzzy. The treaty looked good on paper but I was quite dejected reading an article today on how even if every Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) follow the norms, we still wouldn’t be able to curtail global warming as aimed. — Sarthak Negi, B Tech Mechanical engineering:
- A tall order: Global warming is a real challenge and you see not even the half of the world is bothered about it. Advanced nations and its citizens who have been there and seen all are now acting in tandem to protect the earth but look at the scene in India or many African countries. While our indigenous ways helped preserving nature and maintaining balance, modern ways of the world have played havoc with the traditional lifestyle. In race to have a good life, how a country like India is going to fall in line of the guidelines of (COP 21) seems a tall order. — Rajinder Saini, M Sc Physics. Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/
