Unlike previous topics of debates, the last week unveiled the views of a few groups of people who already or yet cannot influence decisions regarding 2 degrees target. On June 14th there were five diverse groups of citizens trying to figure out the concept of 2 degrees target, uncertainties for this target and the ways how scientists are precise and open for communication. Children, retired physicians, young owners of coffee-shop, middle-age retailers of VWs and finally promising students of School of Integrated Climate System Sciences had lively discussion trying to assemble the puzzle and see the completed picture – what is climate change, what we can do to mitigate it, what is 2 degrees target and how it may affect our lives in prospect.
The side of 40 years old retailers of VWs implied a few socio-economic issues which were highlighted during debates. The complexity of this role lied in the field of dilemma – whether it is more important to sell less car which would correspondently emit less greenhouse gases and precursors or to sell more transport units gaining more money and increasing welfare of their our families. For us as for the people who have only basic knowledge in climate change and conductive processes, it was essential to figure out how policies of 2 degrees target may impact transport industry. As regular retailers, we cannot alter the politics of the group of companies, the final decisions and strategies for improvement for vehicles always lie on the shoulders of top management, scientists-consultants and engineers. We, as cogs in the machine called as VW, work with customers receive their requirements for cars and thus, we are able to offer the modern models which provide advanced technologies in fuel consumption and the amount of GHG emissions.
Uncertainties in the central target for regulations of global warming – 2 degrees target, – prevent our proper understanding of the ways we should follow. Scientific society is not too enthusiastic to explain the main issues for citizens whose daily life contributes into climate change as well as they still have too access indeterminacies in researches.
During the course of debates each group of fascinated with climate change people expressed their points of view and discussed matters of concern. 8 years old children asked naïve, but at the same time deep questions and the main load of responsibility lied on students investigating global warming, 2 degrees target and related issues. They prepared elegant analogies which were clear for both adults and kids. Professors of physics were quite positive in their estimations of climate change coverage and current state of science. Young coffee shop owners were attacked in some point of discussion the same as retailers of VWs as the people who are responsible for additional waste produced on daily basis. Nevertheless, one of the most important thoughts was expressed during the discussion – each kind of activity leads to emissions. Although, our generation is still able to give a chance for healthy world for these children who took active part in debates.
For me one major point in the discussion with VW retailers was that they simply denied uncertainty. They stated that either their cars run or not, no uncertainty involved. But in fact, the concept of offering a warranty is exactly a probabilistic approach to dealing with uncertainty: a certain proportion of new cars do not withstand usual usage and fail within a certain time. For those cars the company offers a warranty, i.e. repair without cost.
Can we translate this concept into the uncertainty involved in the 2-degree limit? What if we could make governments offering a warranty if they surpass their targets? Or companies, if they exceed their GHG consumption?