Michel Sherrod of the World Meteorological Organization: "Thirty years ago the previous generation maybe was damaging the atmosphere out of ignorance now ignorance is no longer a good excuse. We know"
Here in the US we don't hear very much about the UN attempts to mitigate climate change due to our mostly corporate owned media; many who profit from maintaining the energy status quo. But since 1988 the UN has been busy developing a global scientific consensus on the causes and solutions to climate change.
The plan released in 5 assessments (the final assessment released this past weekend) will be used worldwide to direct policy for mitigation and adaptation. Listen to Rajendra K. Pachauri, the chairman of the UN Intergovernmental Panel of climate change (IPCC) talk about this painstaking process:
I am using the phrase "the style of the Marshall Plan" as it is often used to describe a proposed large-scale rescue program. Indeed there has never been a rescue program on the scale needed to stop the worst effects of climate change. This program is being lead by the UN rather than the US. Here's hoping the US understands the importance of joining the global community in this historic endeavor.