Sixteen of the world’s 195 nations are responsible for 80% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions. On Monday all of these nations will send representatives to Washington D.C. to see if they can slow down the alarming rate of climate change. Just as President Obama promised, he has taken and will continue to take major steps in assuring that the U.S. will be the leaders in solving our current environmental crisis. Later this year, United Nations talks will take place in Copenhagen to see if a treaty can be drafted that would put limits on greenhouse gas emissions.
Recently China surpassed the United States as the world’s leader in greenhouse gas emissions, so their presence at these talks is essential. Officials are hoping that together new standards can be set and new technologies can be put into place that could be spread world-wide. However, even though the United States and China may attempt to curb their emissions, world-wide change will not occur unless all 16 nations can agree on curbing their industrial production. Let’s hope that this first meeting between all of these nations will be the first of many that will hopefully reach meaningful solutions that will sustain our environment and our ability to live on this great planet.
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