No Country Is Taking the 2 Degree Climate Target Seriously

Cognitive dissonance is when thoughts and attitudes do not match behaviors. Humans are nervous about climate change, but they are not changing old habits around fossil fuels. “The more you understand the brutal logic of climate change – what it could mean, the effort necessary to forestall it – the more the intensity of the situation seems out of whack with the workaday routines of day-to-day life,” writes David Roberts for Vox. More than 60 countries have ratified the Paris agreement to keep the rise in global earth temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius, but few are taking the necessary steps. The number may seem small but could prevent treacherous hat, water shortages and crop failures. The target requires an immediate stop to using fossil fuels before 2026. Roberts summarizes fossil fuel reserves, models and technology development and concludes that wealthy nations’ reluctance to adjust their lifestyles could lead to “runaway warming” that leaves the planet inhabitable. – YaleGlobal