SUSTAINABLE & CLEAN ENERGY | ENERGY EFFICIENCY | LOW CARBON DEVELOPMENT | CLIMATE CHANGE | ___________ TECHNOLOGY | POLICY | INVESTMENT

Friday, February 20, 2015

Surprisingly, a Voluntary Climate Treaty Could Actually Work

Negotiators around the world are deliberating proposals for an international climate change treaty that will contain a glaring loophole: It won’t be binding. That’s less than ideal, but it’s still worthwhile for several important reasons. First, all treaties are essentially voluntary, short of violators being placed under severe sanctions or the threat of war. Second, the more binding the language of the treaty seems, the less likely it is that countries will make any commitment to act. And third, the only previous international treaty to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was surprisingly successful.  Read more at http://www.nytimes.com/