G20 leaders reach climate agreement, set carbon neutral goal for 'around mid-century’

2011-Dec-10

Is global warming just a load of hot air?

Climate change is clearly a burning issue, but who to believe? We spoke to three experts with differing views on the subject in an effort to determine what’s really going on.

Words: Jim Wake

ast week, a study in the prestigious journal Nature revealed just how much CO₂ increases have greened the Earth over the past three decades. Because CO₂ acts as a fertilizer, as much as half of all vegetated land is persistently greener today. This ought to be a cause for great joy.

Instead, the BBC focused on warning that the paper shouldn’t make us stop worrying about global warming, with threats like melting glaciers and more severe tropical storms. Many other major news outlets did not even report on the study.

America’s new United Nations ambassador, Kelly Craft, has an opportunity to help refocus global development efforts, using US clout to ensure every dollar spent does more to help people and the planet.

Craft is taking her position at a pivotal time, four years after the ratification of the

Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, the development agenda up to the year 2030. With little more than one decade left, implementation desperately needs shaking up.