56 Newspapers Call for Climate Change Action

On the eve of the Copenhagen climate change summit, 56 newspapers from around the globe have published a joint editorial urging that world governments act to curb climate change. Aware that the summit cannot produce a full, binding treaty, the papers call for politicians to agree on a framework—with "rigorous multilateral monitoring, fair rewards for protecting forests," and a credible carbon offset market—and to work toward creating a treaty by June.

"Kicking our carbon habit within a few short decades will require a feat of engineering and innovation to match anything in our history," state the papers. The changes will be costly—though less than the global financial bailout—but the cost of doing nothing is higher, the editorial warns. The leaders at Copenhagen need to decide how history will see the current generation: as one that rose to a challenge, or one "so stupid that we saw calamity coming but did nothing to avert it," the statement warns.
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