A graduate of George Washington University Law School, Zach Pilchen earned his LLM in energy and environmental law with highest honors. Zach Pilchen has a strong interest in the ways that international policy affects the ability of countries to address climate change.
As reported by NPR, the recent COP25 global climate talks held in Madrid were extended two days beyond the original timeframe to give various nations time to work out how to meet targets set by the 2015 Paris climate accord.
The summit ended with a joint declaration by participants that there exists an “urgent need” to cut greenhouse gases. In addition, participants made a broad promise to assist less developed countries facing rising seas and environmental catastrophe.
Unfortunately, the rules and commitments drawn up were well short of what is necessary to generate concrete action. One key area in which parties were unable to agree concerned how to regulate carbon markets and put a price on CO2 emissions. Another issue that will need further discussion at COP26 in Glasgow (2020) is who will take responsibility for economic and social damage caused by increasing temperatures and other effects of climate change.
A take away of the meetings, underscored by the director of the Union of Concerned Scientists, was that the world’s largest carbon emitters are still unwilling to step up and work toward a real solution. As the scientists described it, there is a major disconnect between what’s happening in the “real world” and political processes in play.
As reported by NPR, the recent COP25 global climate talks held in Madrid were extended two days beyond the original timeframe to give various nations time to work out how to meet targets set by the 2015 Paris climate accord.
The summit ended with a joint declaration by participants that there exists an “urgent need” to cut greenhouse gases. In addition, participants made a broad promise to assist less developed countries facing rising seas and environmental catastrophe.
Unfortunately, the rules and commitments drawn up were well short of what is necessary to generate concrete action. One key area in which parties were unable to agree concerned how to regulate carbon markets and put a price on CO2 emissions. Another issue that will need further discussion at COP26 in Glasgow (2020) is who will take responsibility for economic and social damage caused by increasing temperatures and other effects of climate change.
A take away of the meetings, underscored by the director of the Union of Concerned Scientists, was that the world’s largest carbon emitters are still unwilling to step up and work toward a real solution. As the scientists described it, there is a major disconnect between what’s happening in the “real world” and political processes in play.