Climate change: COP25 talks open as 'point of no return' in sight
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50614518Climate change: COP25 talks open as 'point of no return' in sight
By Matt McGrath
Environment correspondent, Madrid
2 hours ago
Political leaders and climate diplomats are meeting in Madrid for two weeks of talks amid a growing sense of crisis.
According to UN Secretary General António Guterres, "the point of no return is no longer over the horizon".
Meanwhile, Save the Children says that climate shocks have left millions in Africa facing hunger. The charity says 33 million people are at emergency levels of food insecurity due to cyclones and droughts.
This conference of the parties, or COP25, was due to be held in Chile but was cancelled by the government due to weeks of civil disturbances. Spain then stepped in to host the event, which will see 29,000 attendees over the two weeks of talks.
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This meeting in Madrid signals the start of a frantic 12 months of negotiations that will culminate in Glasgow with COP26 in November next year.
Some 50 world leaders are expected to attend the meeting in the Spanish capital - but US President Donald Trump will not be among them.
However Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi will attend the conference with a congressional delegation.
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= new reply since forum marked as read
our real representatives will be there. Our incredible Speaker is the inly leader in a leadership role right now and she has been doing the job of not only Speaker but defacto president as well. She has been to all of these international events too. She has no mind to allow the US to fall on its face and let everyone in the world down. That;s the evil bastard in the kremlin's intent. We have to get with it and not only back our local elected office holders, we have to really get it together with support for the national and not let up.
All I can see is that if we can't make massive changes in the ways we do most things we do, we have no chance of surviving what the planet has in store for us. We're not saving the planet, we are trying to save ourselves. We have already shown, and continue to show, that we have no respect for any other species and we have no concern for what we damage in order to avail ourselves of comfort. The great tragedy is that we are destroying all the other species along with ourselves, they would have continued on with the evolving biosphere if it weren't for us. What it also means is that we have to take all remaining species into consideration with equal standing if we are to save ourselves. We need them more than they need us.
Yesterday I saw a post on DU regarding our survival and the world view of indigenous peoples. I found it interesting that after over five centuries the dominant society is willing to listen to the very people they have attempted to destroy only because it's become clear that the not listening means their own demise. Technology will only get us so far, without the natural state of the elements we will not survive.
I hope we all start participating in our own survival soon, it's going to take more than governments making rules, kind of late for that. It's on communities and individuals too.
At least we have one contingent representing those of us who get it and are trying to change how we function. She can accomplish a great deal while the idiot takes the spotlight.
