Do the Conditions and Willingness to Address Climate Change Really Exist?
Finally, after more than two decades of climate summits, including the Earth Summit and the Kyoto Protocol, and twelve months of intense diplomatic efforts to reach a climate agreement, one of the most significant achievements of the United Nations was accomplished in mid-December 2015: 195 countries reached an agreement in Paris and signed a climate pact in favor of protecting the environment.
Faced with the ongoing threat that climate change represents to humanity itself and to the planet, heads of state, international organizations, specialized organizations, investors, business leaders, and recognized advocates of the cause, among others, have progressively demonstrated growing concern regarding greenhouse gas emissions.
The paradigm is clear: the constant increase in greenhouse gas emissions must be slowed down and reduced on two levels: first, by reducing human-generated emissions, such as those resulting from energy production and agricultural activities; and second, by increasing the emissions that can be captured through natural or technological means. All of this with the objective of maintaining the global average temperature well below two degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, in order to prevent the most severe impacts that these effects could cause.
However, although the paradigm is clear, it remains broad in scope, considering that in 2018, two years before the agreement enters into force, the signatory countries will evaluate the impact of their initiatives. Developed countries will receive greater scrutiny, as they are expected to lead these efforts, while developing countries will be evaluated to determine the extent to which they have incorporated efficiency and environmental policies in order to achieve certain basic goals. Countries will undergo reviews every five years, beginning in 2023.
Beyond highlighting who is involved, the objectives, benefits, and many other aspects, what remains unclear — and is probably the weakest point of the agreement — is that it does not specify the systems, processes, initiatives, models, and/or practices that should be followed under the climate pact, leaving such decisions to the discretion and determination of each government. Naturally, this pact provides a framework of reference that each country should follow through initiatives based on its own geography, natural resources, infrastructure, industrial needs, greenhouse gas-emitting sectors, and emission volumes, among other factors.
To ensure compliance with the objectives, there will be no sanctions; however, there will be a compliance committee responsible for designing a transparent mechanism to guarantee that the signatory countries fulfill the commitments established under the agreement.
The question that arises in this regard is whether countries, particularly developing countries, will be able to comply with the agreement while having to design their own policies, especially considering that twenty years have passed since the climate pact was first discussed.
What has become more than evident is that the signing of this agreement undoubtedly represents an impact and challenge for investment in all signatory countries, whether developed or developing, since according to Bloomberg, a total investment of 15 trillion euros will be required in renewable energy and efficiency policies.
Nevertheless, the greatest concern is that human beings, as individuals, are not recognizing that they are part of climate change through their simple interventions in the environment and natural landscapes, and they tend to view the situation as something external or as an issue belonging only to governments, business owners, and/or industrial sectors.
On the other hand, at the national level, the Dominican Republic faces an appropriate opportunity to establish and design efficiency policies aimed at changing the course of this phenomenon, at least within its own territory, through alliances between the public and private sectors.
A country where natural wealth is so diverse and unique must consider how it will address the effects of climate change, initially by focusing on the fundamental issues related to those industries that generate the majority of emissions. It must also consider, as collateral effects, how to address natural situations such as droughts, excessive rainfall, and extreme heat, as well as development-related issues such as the impact on natural capital caused by multiple construction projects that lack environmental sustainability standards within their business and development plans, or within existing urban infrastructure. Above all, however, the question that must be asked is how the Dominican Republic is creating factual awareness within society so that people understand the true effects and the potential most severe scenario if this factor is not considered as an intrinsic part of daily life.
