Copenhagen climate deal must be fair, ambitious, and binding

By David Suzuki with Faisal Moola

Developed countries including Canada and the U.S. have benefited tremendously from fossil-fuel exploitation. Resources like oil, gas, and coal have allowed us to industrialize and to expand our economies, making life easier for citizens in so many ways.

Just as developing nations started to follow suit in raising their living standards, though, we began to realize that our current fuels and technologies come at great cost to the world. And even though developed countries have reaped most of the benefits of fossil fuels, developing countries, which have contributed least to the build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, are feeling the brunt of the consequences. Droughts, severe weather events, food shortages, and waves of refugees are just some of the burdens climate change is forcing on people who were already facing incredible challenges brought on by poverty and a lack of infrastructure for things we take for granted, such as clean air, water, and food. At the same time, these countries are being told that they can no longer rely on the fossil fuels we have used to bring about prosperity.

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