Managing the politics of climate change

THE governments of more than 190 countries are meeting in Paris between Nov 30 and Dec 11, under the aegis of the United Nations (UN), for a climate conference. The objective is to come up with a legally and universal agreement to control greenhouse gas emissions so that the increase in global temperature can be contained within 2 deg C above the pre-industrial age levels. Such an agreement has eluded the world for more than 20 years.

The Paris mega-conference is expected to attract some 50,000 participants, including 25,000 officials delegates from governments, inter-governmental organisations, UN agencies, non-government organisations (NGOs) and representatives of civil society.

Globally, driven by continued population growth, economic development and quest for steadily higher standards of living, anthropogenic emissions are now higher than ever during human history. The annual emission growth rates up to the year 2000 were 1.3 per cent; since then, this rate has gone up to 2.2 per cent. Unless the growth of such emissions can be significantly curtailed, the world will face increasing climate-c…