Most of the world’s scientists agree that the planet is warming up at a dangerous rate, but U students are dismayed that Earth’s leaders still can’t agree to combat it.
Nations around the world are preparing to meet in Copenhagen, Denmark, this December to hash out a new international treaty to slow climate change. President Barack Obama said last week that he will go to Copenhagen only if his presence would clinch an agreement, but he and world leaders from almost every major economic power have openly expressed their doubt that the global community will agree on any sort of commitment to battle global warming by the end of the year. U students are right there with them.
“Between a weakness on the part of the public and a strength and vested interest from the fossil fuel industry, you’ve seen Copenhagen disintegrate,” said Ashley Anderson, a junior in political science and co-founder of environmental activist group Peaceful Uprising.
Anderson said he blames fossil fuel companies and lobbyists for spreading misinformation about climate change as the reason why the government hasn’t acted sooner and stronger to fight global warming. Instead of making a definite plan at the summit, Obama and other world leaders are treating Copenhagen as just one step toward an eventual deal to fight global warming.
The 191 countries convening for the summit will likely discuss an outline on how to finance an international fight against global warming, and a binding agreement to lower carbon emissions will have to wait another day.
But some U students said they think postponing an agreement is too little too late.
“We are not going at the rate we should to stop this,” said Dave Burt, director of the Associated Students of the University of Utah Sustainability Board.
Anderson said he isn’t willing to wait. He’s traveling to the Copenhagen summit in December with other activists to send a message to the nations of the world that they can no longer procrastinate the fight against global warming. But he said he’s aware his words could fall on deaf ears.
According to a PEW Research poll released last month, the number of Americans who don’t believe in the threat of global warming is up 12 percent in the past year.
“We’ve been screaming “We can do this’ for a long time, but it doesn’t sink in,” he said.
Burt said he thinks a lack of a figurehead for the environmental movement is a large obstacle to the public becoming more active.
“The Civil Rights Movement had Martin Luther King,” Burt said. “People knew him. They knew what he was about. There isn’t that one person for them to rally behind.”
Anderson acknowledged that burning fuel for heat and light is fundamental for human civilization8212;a difficult paradigm for mankind to overhaul. But he hasn’t given up hope that it can happen.
“Just look at World War II,” he said. “In nine weeks, we were pumping out battleships and Cadillacs.”
The difference8212;and problem8212;is that global warming is more of an idea than a specific threat to most of the public, which Burt and Anderson agreed can be solved through better knowledge and awareness of the issue.
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