The Launch - the idea

Paris or Bust!

It’s ‘Paris or Bust!’ in December for the Climate.  It’s not, I hope, for me, cycling from Dieppe to Paris the week before (24^th to 29^th November). This won’t be a sacrifice.  I love cycling especially long distance.  I am going with medium speed evangelicals (Tear Fund).  Decided against the slow Catholics and anyway they’re on Encyclicals (ha,ha.  Note to self – sit down and read all of ‘Laudato Si’.  It’s brilliant.  Good on you, Pope Francis!) or the high speed anarchists group who seem too young & fit, and possibly angry.  Please follow this blog if you've time from 24th in which I solemnly promise to avoid verbosity.  You could also donate a little via Just Giving (www.justgiving.com/Mark-Hancock6) to Practical Action which works with communities particularly under the climate-change hammer and it employs local people.   The idea of my trip is to connect more of us ordinary people to this distant high level event with all the world leaders and their acolytes hidden away in a conference room.  The consequences are huge.  It’s not just the leaders’ grand plans that are important.  It needs all of us, our wills, skills, energy & imagination to work out how to live such that we and our children, and the natural world may continue to ‘have life in its abundance’ (John 10:10).

More info: During the first 2 weeks of December the World leaders will be meeting to discuss and commit to significant action against Climate Change at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP21.  The conference objective is to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, from all the nations of the world ( Kyoto 1992 agreement missed out many important countries). Leadership of the negotiations is yet to be determined.

Nations have nearly all now sent in their commitments to greenhouse gas reductions. They don’t do enough to hold us to less than the agreed danger limit 2^oC rise but it is a good start. Many believe 1.5^oC is necessary. But it’s not all ‘Doom and Gloom’.  Recently, China has really recognised the issue including pledging $3.1 billion for poorer countries to reduce fossil fuel use, India under new leader Mohdri has  committed to 40% clean energy by 2030.  There is much more ‘we are all in it together’ than previously as the enormity and urgency have become apparent