Prof. James Coleman Quoted by Washington Examiner About Effectiveness of U.N. Climate Conference

Professor James Coleman was quoted by the Washington Examiner about the effectiveness of the annual United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP) currently being held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Over the years, the conference has resulted in notable, landmark accords such as the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement, paving the way for nations to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and pursue energy transitions toward renewable alternatives. However, the targets set within those agreements stretch further out of reach, several world leaders decided to forgo attending this year’s event, and multiple nations have pulled their negotiators just days after the summit began. As a result, many have begun to question the effectiveness of the global climate summit. Prof. Coleman said he believes the conference is fit for a “more limited purpose,” such as informing other nations on emission reduction progress and discussing climate funding for poorer nations. “There’s a lot of things where it’s useful,” Coleman said, saying he believes actual solutions to climate change are seen on the regulatory level. Coleman indicated he believes COP creates the space for separate nations to bring their own regulations to encourage other countries to adopt similar measures. “I think COP will continue to have value. I just think — it’s just not going to save, it’s not going to solve climate change. That’s not what it does.”