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Hello! This is Steve Lee. I am here to talk about Climate Change issues. As you know, we are being affected by climate change drastically. The world is meeting at Copenhagen this December to draft a protocol to avert climate change.
When they convene in Copenhagen this December, they should be thinking GREEN, an acronym encompassing four key aspects that must be addressed at COP15. The “GR” stands for Getting Real. When they drafted the Kyoto Protocol, they created an accord that caused fairness disputes between countries making it unenforceable, and complex. The result was minimal progress and wasted years. With Kyoto set to expire in 2012, the planet cannot afford another ineffective treaty, so we need real leadership from them. They must sign a fair and binding climate change agreement that engages all of the planet’s stakeholders, from developing countries, to businesses, to individuals, and to youth. Making the right decisions now will spur new industries, create new jobs, and secure a new future. They must understand that if they leave the world without a climate deal after Copenhagen, history will remember that they have failed in securing our future. But with vision, cooperation, and leadership, they can design a real climate deal and set at the planet on a course to recovery. Copenhagen is their chance.
The first “E” in GREEN stands for emissions. Kyoto illustrated that quantity emission limits are not practical as the ability of a nation to meet targets changes over time. We need an internationally harmonized “carbon tax” that will penalize each ton of carbon emitted by businesses and individuals. The price of carbon will increase incrementally to ensure progressive reductions. Revenues from this carbon tax will be collected domestically, and then will return a prescribed percentage of the revenues by lowering other taxes. An international organization will also collect a portion of the carbon tax revenues from developed countries to fund green infrastructure in developing countries and renewable resources such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy. The carbon tax will be binding and universally applicable. Above all, the carbon tax will compel businesses and individuals to reduce emissions and it will fund the global green revolution.
Emissions. Green House gases. Parts per million . At every Climate Summit to date, these have been the primary focus. But our earth is made up of more than just atmosphere; all nature must exist in harmony for life to thrive. The second “E” in GREEN is for Environment. While we debate yearly targets, our rivers fill with pollutants. Logging levels one and a half acres of virgin forest every second. Our oceans choke with literally tons of garbage, sewage, oil and chemical runoff. Over 360 dangerous chemicals have been detected in the Great Lakes alone. Every day, well over a hundred unique species disappear from planet Earth. Entire ecosystems, medicinal herbs, the very lungs of our planet; all are at risk. As our leaders, they must broaden their views. They should not form a treaty that focuses merely on fossil fuel emissions. We must enforce the preservation of all facets of nature. If we have the means to cut back on green house gases, we have the means to conserve our ecosystems.
The “N” in GREEN stands for Now and the Future. Currently, climate change is having a profound effect on youth. Scientists predict that 6 million children in Bangladesh will be forced evacuate because much of their homeland will be submerged within the next century. This family has nowhere to go due to flood. What can be said to this mother whose children’s lives are in jeopardy? What about this boy rubbing his eyes at his dust-filled home that was once a pasture? Droughts due to climate change have altered the lives of an entire generation. As the inheritors of our planet, we deserve a voice in our future. We need to be heard. If the future is to change for the better, it must be with actions.
When they convene in Copenhagen this December, they should be thinking GREEN, an acronym encompassing four key aspects that must be addressed at COP15. The “GR” stands for Getting Real. When they drafted the Kyoto Protocol, they created an accord that caused fairness disputes between countries making it unenforceable, and complex. The result was minimal progress and wasted years. With Kyoto set to expire in 2012, the planet cannot afford another ineffective treaty, so we need real leadership from them. They must sign a fair and binding climate change agreement that engages all of the planet’s stakeholders, from developing countries, to businesses, to individuals, and to youth. Making the right decisions now will spur new industries, create new jobs, and secure a new future. They must understand that if they leave the world without a climate deal after Copenhagen, history will remember that they have failed in securing our future. But with vision, cooperation, and leadership, they can design a real climate deal and set at the planet on a course to recovery. Copenhagen is their chance.
The first “E” in GREEN stands for emissions. Kyoto illustrated that quantity emission limits are not practical as the ability of a nation to meet targets changes over time. We need an internationally harmonized “carbon tax” that will penalize each ton of carbon emitted by businesses and individuals. The price of carbon will increase incrementally to ensure progressive reductions. Revenues from this carbon tax will be collected domestically, and then will return a prescribed percentage of the revenues by lowering other taxes. An international organization will also collect a portion of the carbon tax revenues from developed countries to fund green infrastructure in developing countries and renewable resources such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy. The carbon tax will be binding and universally applicable. Above all, the carbon tax will compel businesses and individuals to reduce emissions and it will fund the global green revolution.
Emissions. Green House gases. Parts per million . At every Climate Summit to date, these have been the primary focus. But our earth is made up of more than just atmosphere; all nature must exist in harmony for life to thrive. The second “E” in GREEN is for Environment. While we debate yearly targets, our rivers fill with pollutants. Logging levels one and a half acres of virgin forest every second. Our oceans choke with literally tons of garbage, sewage, oil and chemical runoff. Over 360 dangerous chemicals have been detected in the Great Lakes alone. Every day, well over a hundred unique species disappear from planet Earth. Entire ecosystems, medicinal herbs, the very lungs of our planet; all are at risk. As our leaders, they must broaden their views. They should not form a treaty that focuses merely on fossil fuel emissions. We must enforce the preservation of all facets of nature. If we have the means to cut back on green house gases, we have the means to conserve our ecosystems.
The “N” in GREEN stands for Now and the Future. Currently, climate change is having a profound effect on youth. Scientists predict that 6 million children in Bangladesh will be forced evacuate because much of their homeland will be submerged within the next century. This family has nowhere to go due to flood. What can be said to this mother whose children’s lives are in jeopardy? What about this boy rubbing his eyes at his dust-filled home that was once a pasture? Droughts due to climate change have altered the lives of an entire generation. As the inheritors of our planet, we deserve a voice in our future. We need to be heard. If the future is to change for the better, it must be with actions.
