the Voice of
The Communist League of Revolutionary Workers–Internationalist
“The emancipation of the working class will only be achieved by the working class itself.”
— Karl Marx
Jun 5, 2017
The International Climate Change Conference in Paris was just like the 20 previous meetings before it. The damning scientific evidence was discussed. Then, an agreement was made to do nothing dramatic to change the status quo.
If Paris was different, it was only in regards to words on a piece of paper. In Paris, for the first time ever, nearly 200 nations, including the U.S., actually acknowledged that unchecked climate change is a problem. How big of them!
By design, this agreement had no teeth–no legally binding requirements. That way, approval didn’t require ratification by the U.S. Congress and similar bodies in the 194 countries who signed on. Legally, it was all voluntary and actions to change the problem were only suggested.
Let’s look at an analogy. If, for example, an international convention of serial killers all agreed that murder is harmful to human beings, that would be a global agreement admitting the truth. But without an outside organized force to stop the killing, no real human progress would be made.
The Paris Accord was backed by many corporations throughout the world, including energy companies. Clearly, it did not come close to actually addressing the problem.