Can Paris Still Fail?

The report of the world economic forum from 2023 reveals a world “plagued by a duo of dangerous crises: climate and conflict.” The media coverage is full of Ukraine and Palestine wars as well as regional conflicts, while the ever more perceptible effects of climate change mostly make to the weather forecast only. Can we trade of the one against the other? Can the Paris Agreement still fail? The Paris Agreement forms an indispensable base for the multiple and long-term commitments of the signatory states (195!) to engage in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. If this agreement should fail, we can be sure that climate change will take an unbearable course and will surely lead into a catastrophe beyond any compare.

As interesting as it is embarrassing for mankind at the same time: There is a basic pattern behind this dilemmatic situation: The majority of these present conflicts are driven by nationalistic thinking – usurpation of land and closing boarders for foreigners are always driven by right-wing thinking, which at the same time also fiercely talks down the importance of climate action. The common expression for this is simple: Egoism. When these egoists talk about closing the boarders – do they know just how many refugees we have to expect in a +2 °C-scenario? Does anybody believe that starving billions can be held back by fences? The number of refugees we are seeing today will be looked at as “Kindergarden” in hindsight. It seems that mankind is totally overloaded with global thinking and archaic reflex is taking control over intelligence.

While we should generally allow everybody to elaborate his stupidity for himself, in this situation the effect of Paris failing is irreversible – there will be no more chance to make good after we will have failed here and the atrocities will be multiples higher than from all wars put together!

Yours sincerely

Matthias Mersmann