The United Nations 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) was the Largest single gathering of countries in recorded history. Never before have so many heads of state come together collectively to address a single issue. The two-week conference culminated Dec. 12 with the signing of a historic agreement by 195 nations to limit emissions of greenhouse gases in order to mitigate climate change. Frankly, it is remarkable that a unanimous global agreement was achieved, calling for transparency, regular review periods, and the sharing of responsibility between developed and developing nations. Had one party declined approval, the whole agreement would have collapsed, much like the calamity of COP15 in Copenhagen, which I witnessed firsthand in 2009. From my view, the Paris Agreement is a very positive outcome for district energy/CHR requiring that we redouble our efforts to leverage favorable policies to accelerate the growth of district energy systems. Personally, this moment of global agreement punctuates my career in clean energy since 1978 and provides for me a defining pivot from the noise and nonsense of denial to a dedicated focus on deployment of proven district energy solutions. I agree with former Gov. Schwarzenegger that we must get on with it.
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