A “Historic” Agreement on Climate in Paris: but Will Mankind Be Able to Save Itself in Time?

Abstract

The Paris Climate Agreement of December 12 th , 2015 should be considered “historic” not only because it is “universal”– it was approved by almost all the countries in the world (195 states) –but also because all the parties, sharing the urgent need to stop ecological destruction, have acknowledged (though with an unforgivable delay of at least 20 years) that global warming is a worldwide phenomenon and, as such, needs to be addressed “all together”. The Agreement also recognises that the era of fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas) as the source of primary energy production needs to be quickly overcome, as it entails incalculable, man-made risks to the very survival of mankind.