Worlds-in-Transition

COP-15 A test case for governance at global scale

Broadly there is a growing consensus that the course of business as usual in relation to global warming is not only unsustainable for the planet over the next 100 years, but also a poor economic choice for human communities.  However, there are many barriers in the way of doing what is known to be technically feasible to mitigate emissions, to the point that global warming is contained to, say, a 2 degree rise.

Standing in the way of taking the action that we know needs to be taken are many governance barriers, not the least being the role of special interests, and the enormous and growing gap in equity between the developed and developing worlds.

Nevertheless, this cannot be taken as a necessary precondition for failure.  Much innovation is occurring and there is a groundswell of support for action.  COP-15 may not be the end of the story, but it will act as a litmus paper for whether that groundswell is beginning to grow to the point where action becomes possible and effective decision are beginning to be made.