PUBLIC TALK: Paris in Winter - The COP21 Climate Change Conference and the Future of the Planet

This talk looks at the history of climate change negotiations and how everything has changed as a result of the Paris climate change negotiations in Paris. It examines the outcomes of the talks and what they mean for Australia and the world. In particular, David Hodgkinson and Rebecca Johnston assess the ‘non-binding’ nature of the emissions reduction targets that states (both developed and developing) have signed up to and whether they adequately address the climate change problem. The Paris agreement’s ambition is to limit global warming to ‘well below 2 degrees celsius and to pursue efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5 degrees celsius above pre-industrial levels.’ Can this ambition be met and what are the consequences if it is not?