The COP21 climate summit in Paris and the human costs of inaction, laid out in 2 short videos

(Image credit: The Wall Street Journal/YouTube)

last updated 1 December 2015

The global climate change summit in Paris, COP21, is a pretty big deal, with a lot riding on what the 150 or so world leaders commit to for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. Given what's at stake, there are quite a few points of friction, especially between rich and poor countries, and in the video below, The Wall Street Journal explains the goals, expectations, and the challenges of the summit succinctly and instructively. "COP21's stated aim is to combat climate change," concludes reporter Jason Bellini, but "the nitty-gritty of negotiations could mostly be about the worldly concern of money." It's a helpful primer to the talks and the buzzwords you'll hear or read about in other coverage of COP21:

The main takeaway is probably that, with aid, developing countries can and are adapting to increased drought, flooding, and other massive disruptions to their livelihood, but if the rate of change doesn't slow considerably, nature may outrun humanity's ability to stay in heavily affected regions. The subtext is that if the inhabitants of Bangladesh and elsewhere can't survive in their home countries, they'll have to go somewhere else, probably in large numbers.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox