A shot in the arm to fight global warming

IN a diplomatic breakthrough, ministers from more than 190 countries have agreed a new global climate change treaty at Paris. The success, which comes after many years of painstaking negotiations, is a very welcome shot in the arm for attempts to tackle global warming.

For those who have criticised the deal, it needs to be remembered that these were an enormously difficult set of international negotiations that nearly broke down, on multiple occasions, in the past. Whereas the 1997 Kyoto Protocol involved a deal for the EU states and 37 developed countries, Paris also involves developing countries too and a much wider range of issues to contend with.

However, while we now have a crucial post-Kyoto framework in place, honesty is also needed. As the UN itself has concluded, the commitments by states that have been made at Paris, important as they are, are not yet enough to limit global average temperature rise to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the level scientists say we must not breach if we are to avoid the worst risks of global warming.