End of Coal? Tyee’s Climate Reporter on Paris Predictions

Geoff Dembicki talks tipping points, clean energy and, yes, if we’re screwed.

Bon voyage, Geoff!

On Friday, long-time Tyee sustainability reporter Geoff Dembicki will set out for Paris, where he’ll be on the ground covering the United Nations climate change conference.

The 29-year old reporter, who is currently writing his first book Are We Screwed? A Millennial’s Guide to Climate Change, will be filing dispatches for The Tyee.

Planned from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11, the ambitious gathering of 196 countries has an even more ambitious goal: to forge “a new international agreement on climate change, applicable to all, to keep global warming below 2 C.”

Reporter David Ball sat down with Dembicki to talk about what he’s watching for in Paris, what’s at stake, and if our world is as screwed as some claim. Interview edited for clarity and length.

David P. Ball: You’re flying to Paris on Friday. Tell me about your preparations and what you’ll be looking for there.

Geoff Dembicki: Over the past couple weeks, I’ve reached out to various environmentalists, journalists and academics to have as many background conversations as I can just to wrap my mind around this event.

Literally every country in the world is coming to meet in Paris in order to plan the future of the world — and at the same time, to save the world. What’s happening is of an insane magnitude. You have the national interests of over 196 countries, and everyone’s jostling for some kind of advantage. And at the same time, they’re all trying to work together. It will affect the world for decades and centuries to come.

Is that overly optimistic, or do you think that could actually happen? We’ve had climate summits before — what’s changed?

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