The Big, Big, Big, Big Deal

The Paris COP 21 talks have produced a global agreement to reduce carbon emissions in an unprecedented accord that covers 195 countries.  Well, 194 countries if you, like me, believe that Republicans will never allow the agreement to be ratified in the United States.

With the sudden bang of a gavel Saturday night, representatives of 195 countries reached a landmark climate accord that will, for the first time, commit nearly every country to lowering planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions to help stave off the most drastic effects of climate change.

Delegates who have been negotiating intensely in this Paris suburb for two weeks gathered for the final plenary session, where Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius of France asked for opposition to the deal and, hearing none, declared it approved.

With that, the delegates achieved what had been unreachable for two decades: a consensus on the need to shift from carbon-based fuels and a road map for the 195 nations to do so.

Though the deal did not achieve all that environmentalists, scientists and some countries had hoped for, it set the table for more efforts to slow the slide toward an unlivable planet.

The deal resolves the main GOP talking point: that without cooperation and carbon emission limits from China and India, any deal was worthless and would only serve to cost US jobs.

At its heart is a breakthrough on an issue that foiled decades of international efforts to address climate change. Previous pacts required developed economies like the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions but exempted developing countries such as China and India.

The new accord changes that dynamic, requiring action in some form from every country. But the echoes of the divide persisted during the negotiations.

Delegates received the final draft of the document Saturday afternoon, after a morning when the text was promised but repeatedly delayed. They immediately began parsing it for language that had been the subject of energetic debate, in preparation for a voice vote on whether the deal should become law.

All evening, tense excitement was palpable. The delegates rose to their feet to thank the French team, which drew on the finest elements of the country’s traditions of diplomacy to broker a deal acceptable to all sides.

France’s European partners recalled the coordinated Nov. 13 terrorist attacks in Paris, which killed 130 people and threatened to cast a shadow over the negotiations. But, bound by a collective good will toward France, countries redoubled their efforts.

Now of course comes the part where Republicans (and oil and coal state Democrats) block the deal from ever being binding in the US, which will assure other countries will fail to follow the deal too, and like Kyoto, it all becomes meaningless.

We had a good run on Earth, but the Paris COP 21 talks will almost certainly be seen as our last chance getting away from us.

That is if there's anyone left to care about the history of humanity.

Dozens Of Wrongs Don't Make A Right

Welcome to post-Paris attack, post-San Bernardino attack America, where crimes against Muslims are definitely on the rise and in a few short weeks rhetoric on the right has led to things like arson at mosques.

A fire that broke out Friday afternoon at the Islamic Society of Coachella Valley was contained to the lobby area without anyone being
injured. According to the imam of the mosque it appeared to be the result of a firebombing.

The Riverside County Sheriff's department said the call came in as possible arson. They believe that it was an intentional act potentially resulting in a hate crime. A person of interest was identified and has since been detained.

The fire was reported at 12:09 p.m. at the 1,800-square-foot building located at 84650 Avenue 49. Cal Fire Riverside reported that crews contained the flames to the lobby area at 12:46 p.m., but there was smoke damage throughout the mosque.

Reymundo Nour, president of Islamic Society, told City News Service that he was out of town at the time of the attack but received reports from his
staff.

``Someone threw what seems to be a Molotov cocktail-like device and it exploded inside the building around the reception area,'' he said.

People were inside at the time, but no one was injured, he said. The fire broke out about an hour before an afternoon prayer session was to begin.

Muslim shop owners are getting beat up,  mosques are being defaced and vandalized, there have been dozens of incidents since November 11th, and hey, events like this have been happening since before then too, even right here in Kentucky.

Both Paris and San Bernardino were terrible events perpetrated by cowards, and there's no valid comparison of rampaging murder that killed 14 or in the case of Paris, more than 160, to simple assault or vandalism.

But the latter is something we as a country have direct power over, and it needs to stop.