Greg Margida: The Fight for 1.5

Today was my first day at the COP and it has already introduced me to some controversy. This controversy, however, is far different from the controversy we see in the United States over whether or not climate change is even real (as another observer told me today, “That ship has already sailed”).I attended a panel this afternoon titled “Natural Solutions for Coastal Resilience,” during which, Dr. Spencer Thomas (Ambassador and Special Envoy for Multilateral Environmental Agreements in Grenada) pointed out that Caribbean countries like his are more vulnerable to coastal climate stress. For this reason, he said that, in the government of Grenada, the goal is to limit the increase in global temperature due to climate change to 1.5 degrees celsius, rather than the goal of 2 degrees celsius that is being pushed globally.
Moments after the panel ended, I stepped outside and found many people who agreed with the Ambassador and the rest of Grenada. A small protest had formed of people from small island countries with the message “Below 1.5, we might still be alive. Rich countries, do your fair share.” This protest reminded all of us at the COP that there are many small island countries ( even smaller than Grenada) who will be under-water if the global temperature rises more that 1.5 degrees celsius. The fight for 1.5 seemed like a valid demand to me since it would save so many lives.

As a proud, Italian-American, I celebrated my heritage upon arrival at COP21.

However, later in the day, I caught up with Dr. Kathryn Sullivan, the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere and Administrator for NOAA. She told me facetiously that “we would need to go to negative emissions by midnight tonight if we wanted to achieve the goal of a 2 degree celsius increase.” Essentially, she was suggesting that the goal of 2 degrees was already going to be difficult. In fact, so difficult that it is almost certainly too late to achieve an only 1.5 degree increase at this point due to our current state of emissions.

Protestors demand a global temperature increase of less than 1.5 degrees. Any greater would wipe out their home countries.

Though their goal is not achievable, I was still motivated by the intent of Dr. Thomas and the protestors. A global temperature increase of more than 1.5 degrees is practically inevitable, regardless of the potential results of COP21. Unfortunately, when this increase comes, many small island countries will be underwater, forcing their citizens out as climate refugees. Though it may be too late for them, the pleas for 1.5 will hopefully inspire negotiators to take the most aggressive provisions possible to save the people on our planet. As the protesters said, it is only right that we rich countries “do our fair share.”

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