In a recent study by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which was released ahead of the upcoming UN climate conference in December, they found that, yet again, greenhouse gases have reached a new record high as of 2014. The effect of higher concentrations of greenhouse gases is helping fuel climate change, therefore threatening the security of future generations on this planet. In their Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, the WMO says that “between 1990 and 2014 there was a 36% increase in radiative forcing – the warming effect on our climate – because of long-lived greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) from industrial, agricultural and domestic activities.” Every year a new record is reached and, in spite of this, every year enough is not done to begin to remedy the situation.

The issue is that climate change is a matter of human security. For instance, if the world at large, or perhaps those countries that are polluting the most, want future generations to live without fear of basic needs, such as clean water, clean air, and edible food, then perhaps this issue needs to be taken more seriously. The Kyoto Accord is a good example of strides have been made in the past in regards to tackling the issue of greenhouse gas emissions. However, these types of treaties have had a few problems getting off the ground. For example, while they set out certain goals, there are no incentives or punishments for failing to reach those goals. Of course there is the goal of saving the planet, but this is such a long-term prospect that it is not likely to be considered in the short-term. In the case of greenhouse gases and climate change, variations are not likely to be observed in such short periods of time. As such, it becomes clear that countries respond better to short-term goals that can be achieved and seen over the duration of a single generation, which may explain why countries are less likely to set goals with long-term results in mind. With that said, it is important to note that the oil industry is still too profitable to give up, and while renewable energy is slowly making its way to the forefront, it will not be a prominent source of energy for at least another generation or more.

Oksana Tarasova, chief of the WMO’s Atmospheric Environment Research Division notes that “[t]his calls for urgent and very strong actions to limit the emission of those greenhouse gasses.” The agency also said that greenhouse gases have not been this high for about 800,000 years and these emissions will continue to rise unless something is done. One of the places to talk about this is at the upcoming UN climate conference this December in Paris. These conferences do not just need to be about emissions and climate reform, but also about the security and health implications that these climate issues raise. Nations need to make a better effort to cooperate with each other and with the International Organizations that are in place to help them deal with the problems that climate change may present.

Further, climate change is a global crisis that cannot be solved by any one country. As such, having global collaboration between countries will be the most effective way to begin to solve the issue of climate change, and the place to do this is at climate conferences, like the one coming up in December. This issue is an on-going problem, and it is as important as any human rights dispute. With that said, it is clear that climate change is a long-term conflict between man and the environment that will continue to grow worse until we find a cooperative and peaceful way to coexist.