States must agree on climate change remedy

The global conference on climate change currently taking place in Paris, France, is a sobering moment for nations, especially the industrial ones, as it focuses attention on the negative impact of human activity on the environment.

Global leaders are agreed that the devastation visited on the environment poses a threat to all.

Societies are under the risk of disruption and economies likely to suffer due to environmental degradation.

The glaciers have shrunk, sea levels are rising, drought is pervasive, and temperatures are rising.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says the temperature of the earth’s atmosphere may rise by between 2.5F (-16C) and 10F (-12C) in the next century unless the conditions are checked.

Convened under the auspices of the United Nations, the Conference of Parties is giving singular attention to global warming, which is a consequence of climate change and whose impact is beginning to be felt across the globe.

Locally, the ongoing El Niño rains that have caused so much havoc exemplify the negative impact of climate change.

There are warnings that the reverse condition, La Niña, which has equally catastrophic effects, will set in once the rains stop.

The debate on climate change has political dimensions.

The industrial nations of the North contribute the largest quantities of carbon emissions that pollute the environment, yet they suffer the least consequences.

Contrastingly, the developing nations of the South contribute the least level of emissions but suffer the most.

This is why a balance must be struck at the conference.

The industrial North has an obligation to provide resources and technology to mitigate the impact of its emissions.

National governments must implement the resolutions for the wellbeing of their citizens.