Politics: Let’s use a metaphor to explain the climate change deal
- Like riding a bike Let’s say you gave yourself two weeks to learn how to ride a bike, hoping you’d be able to ride around the neighborhood with your friends. But your mom was scared you might ride too far away, so you rode around the block a few times using training wheels. You’d been working on it, hoping you could eventually take off your training wheels.
- Hopes dashed A couple weeks later, you ask your dad (who’s been absent lately, on account of work) if you can ride your bike around the neighborhood. Your dad said no. However, he’ll let you take off the training wheels and said things will change “someday.” Problem is, by the time “someday” comes, your friends won’t be around anymore.
- Metaphor to realityThe “bike” is climate change. The “training wheels” are the deal in Copenhagen. “Mom” is the U.S. and other western powers, and “Dad” is Barack Obama. Your “friends” are other, less powerful nations who were held at the G8’s mercy. And, well, the “neighborhood” is how far we can go with emissions. We failed today, guys. Badly. source