The Bali Climate Deal: Will Things Work Out This Time Around?

Well, I hope so. For certain, any wide agreement to curb global carbon emission is the welcomest treaty at this time, when hints of a destabilizing global environment are ever persistent. Super-typhoons, receding forest, melting polar ice, increased earth temperature, and smog in every major city in the world—-these are signs and symptoms that could not easily be rebuffed. Perhaps, even America could not stay blind to the impending environmental catastrophe that now, it becomes a very active propeller of this most recent climate deal being sponsored by the United Nation, as the Kyoto Protocol is about to expire on 2012 (without fulfilling the desired).

In 1997, the united States have dissuaded from signing the Kyoto Protocol having been not in agreement with the amount of emission reduction that it had prescribed. This time around, the deadline is set further towards 2050, farther and longer in period, but the emission reduction rate would be far more substantial, somewhere around 40 to 50 percent of the current level.

Would this ever be possible? Having about 40% lesser carbon in the air than we have now? Would this be possible without sacrificing the need for industrial growth and wider transportation use that would be attendant at that future time?

The only manner that this could be possible is if technological advancement in power sourcing would be had in great strides right now and in such a short period of time thence, like the sustainable institution of such alternative renewable energy source like wind and solar energy systems, and hydrogen cells in most transport vehicle by then. Simply put, in order that such amount of reduction could ever be attained 40 years from now, world’s use of fossil fuel or petroleum should be radically curbed. (I can almost sense how OPEC would react on this turgid aim to agree on carbon reduction by most participants in the Bali climate meet).

Be as it may seem, any agreement to curb carbon emissions would be the most positive thing that could result. And with the active participation of the United States around—-hopefully with more commitment than ever before—-then the climate deal would be on the right track. It is hoped that other highly-industrialized nations like Japan, China and EU could follow America’s interest on this.