Why The Paris Climate Conference Was Successful

Robert Stavins heads up the Harvard Project On Climate Agreements. He and his team were very involved in the Paris Conference.  He had been very critical of previous agreements that were unworkable.  He explains why this agreement is a huge step forward.  Since the agreement is not a treaty it does not have to go to the Senate for approval.  The GOP majority would have voted against the agreement if they had the opportunity.  Republicans will have an opportunity to block funding for certain parts of the agreement in the future.  As long as they are a majority in Congress they will be the biggest hurdle that must be overcome in an international effort to save the only planet that we have. 

Final Words
So, my fundamental assessment of the Paris climate talks is that they were a great success. Unfortunately, as I have said before, some greens and some members of the press will mistakenly characterize the outcome as a “failure,” because the 2 degree C target has not been achieved immediately.
Let me conclude where I started. The Paris Agreement provides an important new foundation for meaningful progress on climate change, and represents a dramatic departure from the past 20 years of international climate negotiations.  Of course, the problem has not been solved, and it will not be for many years to come. But the new approach brought about by the Paris Agreement can be a key step toward reducing the threat of global climate change. In truth, only time will tell.