The clear and present danger of climate change

Scientists say the recent floods and natural calamities that hit Asia recently are the result of the unchecked global warming.

According to a World Bank report, released in Dubai on Monday, the planet will be faced with devastating effects when temperature rises 5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial warming period. Currently, the temperature is already 2 degrees Celsius above, and this is already "a real problem", according to the report.

It has been long 12 years since world leaders met in Japan and came up with a blueprint of a global plan to ease climate change — the Kyoto Protocol. However, it was rejected by the United States. In December, the planet will have a second chance. Heads of states are expected to meet in Copenhagen in a second attempt to reach a deal, which would build on Kyoto and set internationally binding targets to limit carbon emission — activists and scientists hope the leaders would agree on a reduction of 40-50 per cent by the year 2050.

But the preparatory negotiations are going nowhere. The US is still insisting that major developing nations, such as Brazil, China and India — the so-called emerging markets, should agree to the same targets that would be imposed on industrialised nations.

The developing nations, however, reject that demand as they lack access to the technology needed to reach those targets. They offer domestic plans that can be monitored internationally but are not legally binding.

They argue that the more than 65 per cent of emissions in stock of carbon already in the air came from industrialised nations. Why should developing countries then be held accountable for a problem they didn't create?

It is an interesting debate. Sure. But it is not helpful and could very well cost us the battle against global warming.