Explain why it is difficult to make progress to finding a solution to climate change.

Climate change is a very current issue, impacting the planet socially, politically, economically and environmentally. As it is a complex process, it is increasingly difficult to make progress in finding a solution. Firstly, not all countries will agree on the level of emission reducing targets, with some countries, such as the USA, being concerned about the impact this would have on their economy, confirmed by their lack of adherence to the Kyoto protocol. Also, developing nations such as the BRICs are prioritising development over environmental concern and LICs such as Chad don’t believe they have contributed to greenhouse gas emissions enough to need to sign up. This is supported by the countries debates as to how much and how quickly emissions need to be cut. Due to conflicting views, outcomes can be vague and environmentalists are urging countries to be less unclear and take sufficient action. All these differences in opinion make finding a solution more difficult.

Furthermore, different governments and political leaders have contrasting opinions regarding the topic of climate change. Now that President Trump has left the COP21 Paris agreement, this leads to a future of uncertainty as it becomes unclear as to whether countries will follow him or rise up against him. The US exports many emissions and this will make finding to solution of climate change harder if they dont try and progress towards a more sustainible future. Lastly, with an increasing global population and growing affluence and living standards, it will become even harder to find a solution as energy use becomes higher. In addition, with a higher population consuming more food and protein, this suggests more livestock and methane emissions. There is a real need to adopt sustainable strategies and renewable energies in order to address climate change before the tipping point is reached.