PSR View of Climate Accords in Poland: “We Will Not Stop Here” December 18, 2018

By Pouné Saberi, MD

Most of the countries of the world met recently in Poland to review their progress on the Paris Climate Accords and identify next steps. PSR’s national board president, Pouné Saberi, MD, attended the conference and shares her take on the outcome.

A number of things struck me. First, there was a big presence of corporations and fossil fuel interests at the conference, and little respect shown for the importance and contribution of civil society. There was also a big emphasis on emissions reduction and an almost patronizing dismissal of fossil fuel extraction, like “of course we’re never going to stop that, the world economy would come to a screeching halt if we do.”

Lastly there was no mention of health, and the Paris preamble is pretty much nothing anyone will pay attention to.

So we can say that while this may be a starting point, we will not stop here. We will continually hold big polluters responsible, work on the local level to stop the wheels that promote extraction upstream, and insist that health impacts be included in future iterations.

More Campaign Update

At No Kings Rallies, Millions Protest Authoritarianism

PSR was proud to co-sponsor the nationwide No Kings day of action and mass mobilization on June 14. In over 2,000 local events, from big...
More about At No Kings Rallies, Millions Protest Authoritarianism

2025 Clean Buildings, Healthy Communities convening in New Orleans

This month, PSR joined organizers, activists and advocates from around the country in New Orleans for three days of inspiring conversations on the work the...
More about 2025 Clean Buildings, Healthy Communities convening in New Orleans

Teaching Patients Climate Resilience

from My Green Doctor New research shows that healthcare professionals have a unique opportunity to teach their patients about individual and community climate resilience. My Green...
More about Teaching Patients Climate Resilience