An Inconvenient Truth 不願面對的真相

“We only have one earth” is a well-known slogan reminding us of the importance of environment protection. Because environmental problems usually cross borders, no country can deal with them alone. It takes cooperation between several countries to solve these problems. For years, by means of the bilateral or multilateral negotiation, the international society has successfully found solutions to work out many problems together, for example in the case of the hole in the ozone layer.

But when it comes to global warming it is not as easy as before. Since the day when the climate change issue was discovered decades ago, global warming, an inconvenient truth, has tangled with us. However, we have not made much progress to prevent the situation from getting worse since the Kyoto protocol was adopted in 1997. Why is this problem so difficult?
First of all, global warming is a complex problem. We know that carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas, and its emission can lead to global warming. But with so many of human’s activities rely on fossil fuels, it is difficult to reduce CO2 emissions. In addition, clearing of forests for economic gain worsens the situation. It is not easy to find solutions to such complex problems.

Secondly, the free-rider problem makes international cooperation much more difficult. Because cutting down the emissions of carbon dioxide will directly affect economic growth , both developed and developing countries based on their self-interest are not willing to make the required sacrifice. If everyone wants to enjoy the fruits of others’ labor, there will be no progress.

In short, everyone knows the importance of stopping global warming, but the pressure from domestic industry and commerce groups keep their governments from doing the right thing. For the past ten years, the issue of climate change or so-called global warming is no stranger to big international conferences or summits. But again and again, the conclusion reached by leaders of the world is just an empty gesture to the problem. Most governments have neither the determination nor capability to fulfill their commitments.

The 15th UN Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen will be held by the end of this year. Many preparatory meetings are going on and so much energy is being focused on solving this most intractable problem. However, the old model of Kyoto protocol was proved to be useless: commitment to a numerical target failed.

Fortunately, Australia has proposed another route. That is all countries should come up with a national schedule program to reduce carbon emissions, such as low- carbon regulation. These commitments would be enforced by domestic law rather than international treaty. By this approach, maybe we can finally do something practical to address the problem.