14/6/2016 0 Comments Paris Climate Deal at COP21The global climate change conference in Paris has agreed to transform the fossil fuel-driven economy to slow the pace of global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. As a step in the right direction this agreement has been reached between countries to work harder towards a more sustainable future with a strong focus on seeking clean energy alternatives to fossil fuels.
Over the next few years I'd like to follow how we manage this process and monitor the progress. Who will be the watchdog and what are the mechanisms to ensure that the targets are met? In general, such conferences offer a 'framework' for nations to adopt based on mutual agreement. But my question is why not lead the change ourselves and make changes to more sustainable ways? Do we really need the outcome of the Paris conference to act? In my view the Paris conference is a side matter. The real action starts with you and me. Disrupting the energy sector does not start with gathering or finding consensus among the players, but more in adopting pro-actively an approach in which we develop sustainable sources and subscribing everyone to it. Think of all disruptive technologies out there and how they started. Did they need a worldwide consensus to appear? Did we need a consensus to put a Tesla on the roads? Did we ask the industrial design industries if we should invent 3D printing? Or have we sought permissions from the hotels to establish a the Airbnb solution? No, no and no? So why is it with energy different? The principle is the same, the only thing is that we haven't pushed or innovated enough to disrupt this sector. And I think we should! For me, the Paris conference is fine and hopefully it will do something. But the real action will fall back on us to disrupt, innovate and lead the way to a more sustainable future.
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