Paris climate deal: the trouble with targetism

The headline targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change invite hypocrisy from policymakersThe 21st UN climate summit (COP21) found a happy ending on December 12, when delegates from 195 countries adopted a set of decisions and the so-called “Paris Agreement”. As usual in diplomatic negotiations, the final document contains very vague language on many crucial aspects. But this kind of ‘constructive ambiguity’ often is the only way to get a deal done. The actual meaning of many paragraphs will develop over time, not so much as a result of the most sophisticated interpretations but as outcome of ongoing power struggles. In the words of Peter Berger and Thomas Luckmann: “He who has the bigger stick has the better chance of imposing his definitions of reality”.Nevertheless, the game of framing the COP21 outcome started even before the final draft of the agreement had been published, targeting the most contentious and thus intangible paragraphs, like the new long-term mitigation goal or the five-year review-mechanism. What has been largely overlooked though, are the elements that contain the most precise language: quantified temperature targets. Continue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - December 14, 2015 Category: Science Authors: Oliver Geden Tags: Climate change COP 21: UN climate change conference Paris Global climate talks Science Source Type: news