SXSWorld
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4 2 S X S W o r l d | M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 5 | S X S W. C O M orld leaders will gather in Paris for 12 days beginning November 30 for the United Nations Climate Change Conference. The goal is to reach a new and binding agree- ment to limit global warming. The Paris session comes more than two decades after UN members drafted a framework convention on climate change at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. That framework was eventually ratified by 196 countries, including the United States. While much progress has been made over the 23 years since the Earth Summit, global warming continues. 2014 was the warmest year on record, according to the UN's World Meteorological Organization and other observers. This con- tinues a trend, with 14 of the 15 hottest years ever recorded coming in the 21st century. As President Barack Obama stated in his weekly address just prior to Earth Day in April, "Climate change can no longer be denied or ignored." The planet has grown demonstrably warmer, but that doesn't mean the original Earth Summit was a failure. "We have to think of 1992 as a kickoff to a generation of work," said Kalee Kreider, environmental consultant and UN Foundation special advisor. "If you look at what came out of Rio— biological diversity, climate change, desertification, poverty—it would be naïve to think you could deal with all that in 20 years. Do I wish we were further along? Sure. But there has been real progress on major pieces of the agenda." At the Paris conference, world leaders will share progress on slowing anthropogenic—or human-induced—climate change. A stated goal is to adopt a new agreement that cooperatively limits global warming to +2° Celsius (3.6° Fahrenheit). This 2°C cap has been generally targeted since at least 2009, but the Paris conference aims to make it and a broader set of sustainability initiatives explic- itly enforceable beginning in 2020. Though optimistic about Paris, Kreider doesn't believe this confer- ence alone will be enough to stop global warming. "At its best, it's going to set a bunch of very serious national commitments or tar- gets that countries are going to try and reach. And by doing that, it's going to send a signal to industry, and it's going to put together some important financial levers to help us stop living from crisis to crisis." Jamie Henn, strategy and communications director for the envi- ronmental advocacy group 350.org, echoed Kreider's assessment. "The meeting won't produce a world-saving treaty, but if it sets a strong framework, bold targets and a commitment to find serious finance for the transition ahead, then it will be a useful result. We know our politicians won't solve this problem on their own, but it's time they got out of the way of progress." Global warming has been a politically-charged issue within the U.S. for years, and with 2016 a presidential election year, the tone is unlikely to soften anytime soon. However, that could slowly change as today's youth and young adults begin to constitute more of the voting populace. Said Kreider: "You see attitudes change genera- tionally. We went from more localized issues to more glo- balized issues with Gen X, and we've seen a big shift on gay marriage. I think with the Millennials and after we'll see a big shift on the issue of cli- mate change." Environmental advocates look to Rome for a further strengthening of climate change efforts, this one coming much sooner. Under the direction of Pope Francis, Vatican officials have spent roughly a year drafting and now translating a papal encyc- lical on climate change and its global impacts. Expected in June, the document will directly address the estimated 1.2 billion Catholics around the world. Its planned release just before the Paris conference is no coincidence. Said Henn: "Climate change is a deeply moral issue. By putting it in those terms, the Pope can help bring millions more people into the fight and turn up the heat on those who oppose progress." The papal encyclical arrives in summer, and the Paris conference is scheduled for late fall. Yet this doesn't mean you have to wait to begin influencing climate change. Kreider recommends starting with self-education, which can be as simple as following, reading and retweeting reporters on Twitter: "If you're a leader or an influencer, you have more power than you think on an issue like this. People are much more influenced by local peers and neighbors than pundits." Henn says organizing is key: "We can't solve this thing one light bulb at a time ... we've got to think bigger than that. Join a fossil fuel divestment campaign, get your school or church to go solar, keep up the fight against fossil fuel projects, and demand your politician take action. We don't just need more solar power, we need more people power. Thankfully, that's a renewable resource." Cl im a te ch a n g e a n d m a ny ot h e r v ita l to p ic s w il l b e p a r t of SX S W Eco, to b e h eld O c to b e r 5 -7, 20 1 5, a t t h e A u s t in C o nve n t io n C e n te r. To f in d ou t m o re, in cl u d in g h ow to re g i s te r, v i s it s x s we co.co m . Major 2015 Events Advance Global Climate Change Campaign by Patrick NicholS W U N P H O T O C I A PA K Pres i d e n t B a r a ck O b a m a a t t h e S e p te m b e r 20 14 U. N . Cl im a te Su m m it