In the absence of any concrete action to combat
climate change, what can be done? Perhaps it is useful to examine again why the effort
to combat ozone depletion has been so successful. The key ingredients are still largely
missing when it comes to the climate change issue.
(1) We need to generate more sound
science on climate change.
There is a very effective mechanism in place to bring new scientific
findings to the attention of policy makers: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change (IPCC).
(2) We need to come up with
economically-viable alternatives to
fossil fuel burning. This
could involve energy conservation and efficiency measures,
alternative energy sources, carbon sequestration, or perhaps
most effective, some combination of these three.
(3) We need to envision a truly
global agreement where everyone makes commitments to reduce
greenhouse gas emissions.