“Hopenhagen: Why the Copenhagen Summit Might Be The Most Important Meeting in Human History”

Leaders from all over the world are in Copenhagen this week.

It’s come to my attention that many of my friends and family have no idea what the devil is going on in Copenhagen, Denmark, right now.  Well folks, it’s probably going down in the books as the most important meeting ever held in human history.  Your children and grandchildren will be asking you all about it.  So here’s the brief scoop:

World leaders from all around the globe have gathered in Copenhagen to draw out a plan that should accomplish what the Kyoto Protocol didn’t.  We, as a planet, must reach an agreement that will encourage sustainable living, lower carbon emissions and prevent the global climate from rising more than 1.5 degrees Celsius. Despite what John Coleman or a few leaked emails say, there is nothing natural about the current global climate.  In 2008, NASA’s James Hansen reported that 350 parts per million as bordering safe limits for atmospheric carbon concentration.  Our atmosphere is quickly approaching 390 parts per million.

Conflicts in reaching a consensus:

• Rich and developed countries don’t want to cut back on carbon emissions because it’s difficult and expensive to maintain a thriving economy while cutting back emissions.
• None of the developed nations want to make the first commitment without knowing how much competing countries will cut back, first.
• Poor and undeveloped countries want the rich to provide necessary cash for them to prepare for the worst case scenario.  Many of these countries have been predicted to undergo severe flooding in the near future making their countries uninhabitable.  (Unless they do like Kevin Costner in Water World and grow gills)
• Each country is trying to figure how to determine what is fair, for their specific country to give up.  We can’t ask everyone to cut back the same amount.  Especially considering that China and the US alone make up about 40% of the world’s CO2 emissions.

Bicikeli offers free bicycles for delegates to use during their visit

So, as you can see, it’s going to be a loooooong conference.  How does this get resolved?  Should the US and China have to pay for being the most ecologically irresponsible countries?  Our wastefulness means the loss of human lives.  So should we have to pay now to try to rectify that?  Or should we go along with the idea that we’re pretty much all screwed anyway, so we should just continue living as is?

I’ve had countless conversations with people who just feel like, we’re too late.  Since most Americans feel this way, we figure “Why stop when my neighbor’s gonna keep living the life?”  “One person won’t make the difference.”  “Might as well live it up, while things are good.”  Should we?  I definitely don’t like cutting back and making unnecessary sacrifices when everyone else is going to continue living an unsustainable lifestyle.  But what if it’s not too late?  I think we can do this.  Heck, we saved the ozone layer, we landed on the moon, this should be a piece of cake.

Seal the Deal and petition our leaders in Copenhagen to do the right thing. That is,  if you’re not ready to give up on earth.

Here’s the video world leaders saw to open the conference. What do you guys think?