Blog author Brandon Sutton is an Atlanta native who is passionate about environmental issues. He loves to spend time outdoors whenever possible and has made it a practice to explore as much of the US as possible. His favorite pastimes include rollercoasters, hiking, canoing, and travel.
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Location: Blogs Thoughts on green lifeThoughts on green life |
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Posted by: Brandon |
Posted 254 Days Ago | 171 Views |
US Jumps Onboard, Kicking & Screaming |
The US finally backed down a little bit on its arcane stance at the Bali conference. But even still, there were no firm commitments on the 'road map' for emissions reductions, so what did we really get in Bali?
In the 11th hour, it seems that the pressure to get on board with the rest of the world was enough to persuade the US delegation to the Bali conference to accept the Bali road map. However, there are still no binding emissions targets. Those are still to come over the next two years. One has to wonder where these next two years will take us. If we listen to the sentiments of some scientists, it may already be too late to save the planet. Certainly another two years of feet dragging will only intensify those claims.
I've read article after article from news outlets all over the world, and the wildly differing opinions on just what happened in Bali is stunning. Some call it a farce. Some think the US 'sold out America'. Pretty much every imaginable interpretation is out there for public review. In my opinion, what we really got was a realization that the US and a couple of other road block nations are subject to international ridicule for their positions on climate change. The question that I have is will it be enough to push future negotiations into a real actionable plan before it's too late? Or will the continued deference to 'economic interests' bring us ever closer to calamity?
I guess the old adage which says 'you can't take it with you' is lost in this process. We can continue to live our environmentally destructive lifestyles for a while perhaps, but sooner or later the music stops and what will we be left with? Will there be anything worthwhile left for future generations? I think there will be, but there may be drastically fewer people left on earth to enjoy it.
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