November 30 - December 12, 2023

I had previously reported that this global conference opened with a bang; unfortunately, it closed with a whimper!  After much arm twisting and wrangling, the meeting’s final statement recognized, for the first time and without any reference to enforcement, the need to transition away from fossil fuels.  This translates, for me, to the devastating truth that business as usual will continue for the foreseeable future or until the effects of climate change become so dramatic, that the current business model will finally be tossed out.

The COP 28’s disappointing outcome also means that it is up to us as individuals and climate activists to change what we can:  We must keep reducing our personal carbon footprints, and we must band together and amplify our voices at OC city council and OC county supervisor meetings, urging these slow-moving bodies ̶ glaciers move faster nowadays  ̶  to act on climate change measures now.  We have the technology to avert the worst climate change outcomes; it’s our collective will that’s missing.

Ed Maurer