CLIMATE CHANGE: A LOT STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE!

'I am the daughter of Earth and Water, and the nursling of the Sky; I pass through the pores of the ocean and shores; I change, but I cannot die'
-Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792 - 1822) English poet.

The earth is changing rapidly.The atmospheric temperature of the entire earth is increasing at a very alarming rate; mostly due to the activities of man. Human activities that contribute to climate change include in particular the burning of fossil fuels, agriculture and land-use changes like deforestation. These cause emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main gas responsible for climate change, as well as of other 'greenhouse' gases. To bring climate change to a halt, global greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced significantly.

The main problem with fighting Climate Change is the lack of will by the leading emitters of 'Greenhouse' Gases (mostly developed countries). Most of them are not really taking the Climate Change issues very serious. This trend should be reversed as soon as possible to create a conducive atmosphere for the urgently needed action towards Climate Change.

The European Union has long been at the forefront of international efforts to combat climate change and has played a key role in the development of the two major treaties addressing the issue, the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, agreed in 1997. However, their effort needs to be complemented by other world powers like America and China. They can do this by making more sacrifices implementing the agreements they are signatory to.

However, Kyoto is only a first step and its targets expire in 2012. International negotiations are now taking place under the UNFCCC with the goal of reaching a global agreement governing action to address climate change after 2012. Action needed to be extradited immediately to realize the needed changes...