The Security Council produced a toothless statement that civilians should not be killed and humanitarian aid should be allowed. It took three years for the UN to agree. During which time accumulated unforgivable loss of life and destruction of one of the world’s oldest civilizations.
This does not bode well for the mounting and more consequential global threat to life and civilization poised by climate change.
The war in Syria is tangible, visible, and real-time. No one denied it was happening. No one denied the horrible consequences. You could see it unfold on the nightly news. Such impotence suggests that nation states and global governance have even less power to address the diffuse, invisible, and off-in-the-future threats of climate chaos.
Climate solutions must be found elsewhere. Some of the most likely and encouraging developments are happening through collaboration and leadership by municipalities, businesses, NGOs. What if mayors ruled the world?