Paris news has been heart breaking and it's hard to imagine how it will impact the Global Climate Summit. Paris will still be mourning when top dignitaries from 190 nations arrive in two weeks for the largest peace summit in history. The existential threat that is climate change is bringing the world together. One hundred and seventy nations, including the U.S. and China, are coming with pre-pledges in hand to seriously address the once hypothetical problem that is now reality.
China is adopting American know-how in cap-and-trade with acid rain and using it to end carbon burning. We arrive having recently killed the Keystone pipeline in unison with Canada while tar sand projects, representing the largest carbon sink on earth, are rapidly being discontinued. Brazil will stop rainforest destruction and begin restoration. It looks like all nations are working together for a common good to replace emissions with a clean power plan.
American democracy is starting to unite again with Speaker Ryan pledging to work with the president. Together we can stop global warming before it gets too much worse. The world is moving past terrorists and climate deniers to make the world a better place. We will have to work hard and smart side by side to succeed, not unlike West Virginia where solar workers now outnumber coal miners. It makes sense to get the free clean energy from the sun instead of always digging for it.
Neal Lesmeister
Baxter
