International Conference Works To Succeed Kyoto Protocol

Reader Contribution by Jessie Fetterling

The 14th Conference of Parties (COP 14) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) begun Dec. 1 and will continue into next week in Poznan, Poland. This marks the halfway point for the COP to decide on a climate change agreement that will succeed the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012. The agreement process started last year in Bali, Indonesia and will hopefully end next year in Copenhagen, Denmark. However, many things have already changed since the COP met in 2007. This year has posed many economic challenges that will make it harder for the COP to come to an agreement. However, in order to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions, an agreement must be made.  

If global warming temperatures grow 3.6 to 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial levels, the impacts could be catastrophic. If nothing is done, according to an article in Common Dreams:

  • By 2050, 4.3 to 6.9 billion people — a majority of the population — would live in areas with severely stressed river basins.
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