In the third piece in the Guardian’s major series on climate change,Bill McKibben describes how relentless climate movements acquire shifted the advantage towards fossil fuel resistance for the first time in 25 years. But he argues triumph is not certain – we must not rest till the industry is forced to keep the carbon in the ground.
You can read preceding pieces hereThe official view: all eyes are on Paris, where negotiators will meet in December for a climate conference that will be described as “the most important diplomatic gathering ever” and “a last chance for humanity.” Heads of state will jet in, and tense closed-door meetings will be held,newspapers will report that negotiations are near a breaking point, and at the last minute some kind of agreement will emerge, and hailed as “a start for serious action”.
The actual anecdote: what happens at Paris will be,at best, one small part of the climate anecdote, or one more skirmish in the long,tough-fought road to climate sanity. What comes before and after will count more. And to the extent Paris things, its success will depend not on the character of our leaders but on how much a resurgent climate movement has softened up the fossil fuel industry, or how much pressure the politicians feel to deliver something.
Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com