WATCH LIVE: Biden delivers remarks at COP27 U.N. climate conference
PBS NewsHourDec 23, 2022
The Facts
Fresh data released Friday at the COP27 climate summit show that carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels are expected to rise 1% in 2022 to reach an all-time record.
According to the Global Carbon Project, this level corresponds to 37.5B tons, a new record. If the trend continues, humanity could pump enough CO2 into the atmosphere to warm Earth to 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures — the limit set in the 2015 Paris climate agreement — in just nine years.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Much is at stake in Sharm el-Sheikh. Per UN reports, climate impacts are causing global suffering on a rampant scale, and the expectation is that all countries will increase their ambitions to stay below the +1.5°C mark. COP27 must showcase commitment to a $100B goal and agree on a robust climate finance arrangement for the future.
Establishment-critical narrative
We are in the middle of an interlinked climate, energy, nature, and food crises. Despite small glimmers of progress, the world is still nowhere near the scale and pace of climate action needed to secure a net zero and resilient world by 2050. National governments must radically and rapidly strengthen their climate actions before 2030 — this new report shows how "behind the eight ball" we are.
Narrative C
The catastrophic framing of climate change does far more harm than good, not only by impacting the mental health of our youth, but by alienating and polarizing large portions of the population and distracting from other important issues. Climate alarmism must be taken with a grain of salt.
