United Nations must step up its climate game

Two new reports are out on the disasters climate change is making. A Canadian Ecofiscal

Commission report said a price on carbon is the most cost effective way, because of our government rebates. However, the report did not say since our biggest polluters are given exemptions where the money is coming from for the rebates.

The other report was a 168page United Nations annual report calling for immediate action. It reported that only five of the G20 nations even have a national plan to fight climate change, that means that the world’s five largest polluters are part of the 15 countries that don’t have a national plan. The report said that efforts needed to be increased five times more from what we are currently doing.

The UN needs to do more than just issue an annual report, it actually needs to do something. It has taken a first step in calling a meeting, but the Paris Accord has already done that and it accomplished nothing, because it was only aspirational.

All the nations agreed that it was a good idea, but nobody did it.

Different countries may have different ideas on how they are going to do it, but each country has to say what and when they will accomplish it. They must also be monitored to see if they are actually doing it.

Otherwise it just becomes another Paris agreement.

Larry Prout, Peterborough

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