Fresno activist: Climate change conference underplayed the threat to our world from warming

I appreciate that in November The Bee published an opinion piece by Dr. Peter Kalmus, a well-known and widely published climate scientist. According to Wikipedia, Dr. Kalmus became a researcher with NASA and Cal Tech regarding climate-related issues after earning his doctorate, and he been advocating for policies that address climate change for some time.

The primary topic of the piece in The Bee has to do with the COP 26, which Dr. Kalmus deems a failure. Dr. Kalmus argues that we need to recognize COP 26 for the failure it was since any official progress made was inadequate to address the magnitude of the climate crisis we are facing; he suggested the world needs to shift into emergency mode since, he says, “incrementalism can no longer save us.”

To partially explain the inadequate response of the delegates, Dr. Kalmus points out that the single largest group attending COP 26 was the one representing the oil and gas industry. CNN and NPR separately reported that this group numbered more than 500 individuals.

On the other hand, I would point out that business leaders from many other industries also attended the COP 26 meetings, and many of them spoke in favor of stronger commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They recognize, as do many economists, that the looming costs to all economies from the effects of climate change will far outweigh the cost of taking corrective actions now.

Many demonstrators were also present at COP 26. According to The Washington Post, on just one day, approximately 100,000 people were on the streets of Glasgow advocating for action on climate change. I believe that the nearly all the people who attended COP 26, and the climate advocates throughout the world who did not, will continue to demand political action to effectively reduce the risk of worsening climate change.

As someone who has had an expert’s front row seat as the predicted destructive effects of climate change have begun to emerge, Dr. Kalmus has earned the right to a negative view of COP 26. I think we would do well to listen to his warnings as to the urgency of the crisis, but also to remember that there were positive things at COP 26, too. While acknowledging that the crisis is dire, I believe, along with many others, that there is still time to address the problem in a more or less orderly manner so as to avoid a hotter world that none of us want to live in.

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I understand that Dr. Kalmus is also a supporter of a carbon fee and dividend policy, so I suspect that he would agree that implementing such a law would help demonstrate the U.S. commitment to addressing climate change. I think he would also agree that such an action would send a potent message of urgency when the COP delegates meet in November this year in Egypt. Perhaps having such a law on the books of the United States will set the stage for a successful COP 27.