Jornal de Ciências da Terra e Mudanças Climáticas

Abstrato

Climate Change and Impediments to the Implementation of COP21 Paris Agreement

Jayawardhana AW

Climate change and global warming are currently hot topics. There is no doubt that warming is taking place in some parts of the globe as evidenced by melting of ice caps and glaciers, sea level rises, temperature rises, among other changes. At the same time, skeptics are of the view that the issue is blown out of proportion, and that warming exists locally and that it is premature to conclude that it is a global phenomenon. United Nations initiatives to combat 'global warming' in the past have not produced the expected results and the most recent effort at the COP21 conference held in Paris came out with the 'Paris Agreement' which many hail as a breakthrough. However, there appears to be several stumbling blocks to the enforcement of this agreement. These are related to scientific as well as non-scientific issues. In this paper, an attempt is made to revisit the issues in the light of available information, and to highlight the important role of increasing population, uncertainties in science, impact of shale revolution, delivery of financial assistance by developed countries to combat climate change in developing countries.