The 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference, more commonly referred to as COP26, has just concluded in Glasgow, Scotland. Nations agreed on a climate pact which states that carbon emissions will have to fall by 45% by 2030 to keep alive the 1.5C goal. This includes a phasing down of coal power, trading carbon credits across borders, and a call to return in 2022 with “new, more ambitious targets to curb emissions.”

President Biden has called for the reduction of 50% of U.S. CO2 emissions also by 2030. U.S. Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry, has warned of the ‘irreversibility:” of some of the most catastrophic effects of global warming and the need for the world to respond more forcefully to climate change.  He also stated that COP26 was the “last best hope for global action.”

With the slow phase out of reliable fossil fuel and nuclear energy in Europe, replaced with intermittent renewable wind and solar power, energy prices have skyrocketed. There are now questions whether the energy grid can stand up to a colder than average winter.

The headlines are full of dire climate warnings and calls for massive global economic and political restructuring to avoid an environmental apocalypse caused by the uncontrolled rise in atmospheric CO2.

But does this stand up to close scrutiny?

The CO2 Coalition has created a very interesting climate quiz which helps shed some light on one of the greatest issues of our lifetimes. I recommend that you take it.

This commentary was first published at Real Clear Energy on November 22, 2021

Geoff Pohanka was the originator of our Climate Quiz on our website.