The quantum of action that these series of meetings has enabled has always been well short of what, science says, is required to avoid the catastrophic impacts of climate change. The decision-making at these meetings has not always been guided purely by climate change considerations. Missed chancesFor most of the first two decades since climate change became a global issue — between 1990 and 2010 — very little action was taken to curb growing emissions. The United States, the world’s largest emitter at that time, did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol and was thus not bound by it. In the process, the basic framework of the climate change architecture was severely diluted.

Source: Indian Express October 26, 2021 02:54 UTC