After the failure of the Copenhagen talks, the 350.org organizers sent out a call for suggestions on the next step we should take. Here is what I wrote to them.
Hello all,
Thank you for your hard work on our behalf. It is essential to keep reminding the public and the politicians that climate change is driven by chemistry, which is non-negotiable.
What is the way forward from here? We must certainly keep pushing for an international accord--a patchwork of non-binding national strategies could conceivably lower CO2 to 350 ppm, but there is no way to be sure, and we only have one shot at this. So to rephrase the question, what would need to have been different for Copenhagen to have succeeded? In my view, the answer is to have Greens at the negotiating table not on the streets.
As a Canadian, I am deeply ashamed that my government spearheaded the "climate change skeptic" camp. If we had a more green government, our delegation could have been a force for progress instead. Several powerful governments also have an industrialist ideology, and their negotiators tried and failed to reconcile that ideology with CO2 reduction. Environmentalists traditionally avoid partisan politics--it is a demeaning, frustrating, and time-consuming sphere to work in--which has left political power in the hands of "business liberals" or "business conservatives". They will do the minimum they can get away with when it comes to decarbonizing the economy. So what I propose is that the 350.org coalition lend support to the Green Parties around the world to move their governments in a more green direction. It takes time to organize election campaigns and win seats, but at this junction I see it as the best way forward.
all the best,
Andrew Carkner
Montreal, Canada
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