UNA Exeter and District: 'Why do we need a global climate deal?'

UNA Exeter and District met in Exeter Central Library on 19 March 2015 for an in-depth discussion to spread the message of the 9th proposal of UNA-UK's foreign policy manifesto: "a vigorous drive to secure the climate deal we need".

Dr Doug Smith, a scientist from the Met Office working on long range climate predictions, described the science of weather forecasts and of climate change on earth over millennia. He then discussed the latest research on the causes and predictions for human activity driving global warming.

Ian Bateman, climate change officer for Devon County Council, then illustrated the disaster facing the planet. He predicted that if states continued putting their own interests first (with the current pattern of each state proposing its own targets), it would be fatal for the anticipated climate deal, and for the planet. He recommended that the UK and the EU should immediately increase their current target reductions of greenhouse gases as an example to other States, and that the Paris agreement, due to be signed in December, must be robust.

He suggested market mechanisms to reward reduced consumption, points systems and that richer states increase research funding on storing or cleaning fossil fuel emissions. He bemoaned the lack of local action (when questioned) since the cuts in public expenditure, and exhorted the well attended meeting, now that they were well informed, to challenge the parties seeking parliamentary election as to their policies on the coming climate deal.

UNA Exeter sent reports of the conference to two local weekly newspapers.