There was the United Nations Climate Week in New York City this past September, when political and business leaders finally and widely acknowledged the reality of climate change, as well as the Lima Accord of this past September, when every nation in the world unanimously agreed that climate change existed and needed to be dealt with. And in December of 2015, Paris will host the 2015 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the peak event at which climate activists and member nations hope to pass unanimous, binding legislation around emissions reductions and adaptation to sustainable energy for the entire globe.
Christophe Mazurier, a renowned financier who aims to promote climate-friendly economic growth, wants to add one more date to that list: March 31, 2015. It is not the anniversary of anything, nor does it mark a global summit or climate forum. In fact, it is merely a deadline, and an informal one at that, for nations to submit their legislative reform packages to the UN, in order for the body to compile them ahead of the December summit in Paris. Further, by early February, China, the United States and the European Union, who are guilty of emitting more harmful gases than anyone else, have already submitted their national plans. So what’s the big deal?
Mazurier sees it as an important referendum on the way countries around the globe view climate change. While the Lima Accord got agreement from all corners of the globe, the peer pressure of a global summit is quite a different thing from creating national legislation. For Mazurier, it’s the difference between talking the talk and walking the walk.
If nations prioritize it, then the plans will be submitted by that date; if they don’t, watch how they drag their feet and risk compromising the eventual December agreements. Those countries ready for sweeping and meaningful change, such as France, have submitted their plans and are currently visiting on-the-fence nations like India and the Philippines in order to curry favor and create alliances.
Nations like India, which has taken aggressive, expensive steps to find and invest in alternative energy sources but refuses to implement any cap on harmful emissions. The countries in development are worried that capping emissions would threaten their growth.
And among nations in between the developed and developing world — including many in South America and Asia — viewing climate change this way, as an adaptability issue and not an emissions issue, is not uncommon.
Thus, says Mazurier, March 31 will show how far nations are willing to go to address both prongs of the climate reforms. The number of plans submitted, as well as their individual strength on a national level, will go a long way toward telling the world what is in store come Paris in December.