Growing Concerns about Climate Change
December 3, 2018
In the News
The 24th annual United Nations Climate Change conference (COP 24) began December 2 in Poland, where parties will address one of the most challenging concerns for the planet and negotiate actions for a global climate policy. President of France Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness have already called for companies to accelerate investment in green solutions and to work with world governments to avert a “climate crash”.
Two alarmist reports on the consequences of climate change were published in the last two weeks, “representing the most serious warnings to date that climate change is posing a series of interconnected health risks for the global population,” according to the New York Times. The US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) issued the second volume of the National Climate Assessment (NCA) which focuses on climate change impacts across the United States. This official publication was followed by the release on November 28 of The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change 2018 report, which incorporates the work of scientists from 24 academic institutions and United Nations agencies.
While most governments and experts agree that climate change is real and accelerating, the path to solve the issue is more contentious. For instance, the withdraw of the US from the Paris climate agreement or the ongoing fuel tax protest in France demonstrates the difficulties in moving forward on this topic.
Earlier this year, the French-American Foundation hosted a Transatlantic Forum on “Technology and the Fight Against Climate Change”, featuring keynote speaker Eric Gernath, Chief Executive Officer of SUEZ North America. The Foundation’s Transatlantic Forum provides a space to discuss topics of mutual concern across the Atlantic and foster relationships among leaders in France and the United States.
- Mobilize the Private Sector to Avert a Climate Crash, by Emmanuel Macron and Andrew Holness, WSJ, December 2, 2018
- World is woefully short of 2 degree goal for climate change, according to UN report, CNN, November 28, 2018
- Study Warns of Cascading Health Risks From the Changing Climate, The New York Times, November 28, 2018
- Climate Change Is Fueling Wildfires, Nationwide, New Report Warns, The New York Times, November 27, 2018