Prophecies about climatic catastrophes have been around for decades. The alarm was sounded again when the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published its fourth assessment report on global climate change. At the annual Global Ministerial Environment Forum held in Nairobi, United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) executive director Achim Steiner pointed out that the consumption of natural resources has done more harm than good to humankind. More and more people are aware of the perils humankind will face, but the key issue remains how to address the issue effectively.

The Kyoto Protocol, an agreement reached in 1997, reflects a consensus on the danger of greenhouse gases. It regulates the discharge of just 30 percent of such gases globally and imposes restrictions on just 8 percent of them. This is not because people are not fully aware of the dangers, but because they are afraid the cutbacks will affect their competitiveness. Consequently, some countries refused to sign the agreement while others implemented the plan with reservations. It is fact that since 1990, total discharge from fossil fuel consumption and cement production has been climbing at an annual rate of 1.1 percent. Furthermore, this cannot be kept stable as the population expands and the world economy grows.

Climate change is not only on domestic political agendas but on the international agenda. Many problems need to be solved, however, before the gap between the willingness to address global warming and actual change can be bridged. A recent survey found that most Europeans are willing to change their lifestyle in an effort to cope with the issue, but only a few would commit to really big sacrifices.

A pragmatic attitude and method are necessary to push action forward. Sir Nicholas Stern from the British Treasury made a number of proposals in his review of the Economics of Climate Change, published last year. Action to cope with climate change will generate considerable business opportunities, the report found, and low-carbon energy technologies and other low-carbon products will create new markets, which will be worth hundreds of billions of US dollars and create many, many jobs. Sir Nicholas Stern believes that climate change doesn't necessarily clash with economic growth, because changes in energy technologies and economic structure will create opportunities to both reduce greenhouse gases and boost the economy. However, concrete measures are needed. Clear prices for carbon discharge worldwide must be formulated to encourage carbon-reduction transactions and incentives must be provided for technological research into reducing the unit discharge of greenhouse gases. This might be done by improving energy efficiency, harnessing and sealing carbon, using nuclear energy and biological fuels as well as expanding afforestation.

An editorial in the Britain-based Financial Times said that the globe needs a solid plan. To do this, parties must finish negotiations before 2010. Talks between the main developed countries and the five major developing countries (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa) will be crucial.

Climate change will affect the environment of all people. There must be a common approach to change, in which actions speak far louder than words.

By People's Daily Online