To the Editor:

C-Change Conversations, a national, nonprofit climate change education group headquartered in Princeton, also attended the COP28 summit [“Princeton University Reports from COP28; Delegates Participate in Climate Summit,” page 1, December 13]. We were encouraged by the progress made, including the historic call to “transition away” from fossil fuels, the pledge of tripling renewables and doubling energy efficiency by 2030, and the commitment to significantly cutting methane emissions. We also welcomed the official recognition of the role of climate change on health and safety.

Some call the agreement an historic accomplishment, a “crossing of the Rubicon,” as the international community is finally willing to recognize officially that burning fossil fuels must be curtailed. Others lambast it as being too little, too late — insufficient because of the scope and scale of the threat we face globally.

In our opinion, it was both. Given political and economic realities around the globe, it may have been the best outcome achievable. The agreements aren’t binding and don’t by themselves get us to safer temperatures. In many ways, they simply acknowledge what is already happening within the energy transition. But that recognition — that climate change is tied to fossil fuel usage and we must transition — was still a clarion call to the world.

It’s now up to us. As investors, consumers, and voters we must pressure policymakers on both sides of the aisle to implement the policies needed to deliver on our pledges and to accelerate innovation. The COP28 agreements provide important momentum that should not be squandered. C-Change plans to build on that momentum as we travel the country educating others about climate change’s real risks and helping them understand why we all need to care, and act, more quickly and effectively.

Kathleen Biggins
President and Founder, C-Change Conversations
Nelson Ridge Road