Coastal Policy and Politics

Climate Change Conference Debacle

The Copenhagen Climate Change Conference of 2010 has turned into a circus of the unhappy, frightened, clueless, well meaning, and just plain goofy.

ClimateGate - the hacking and posting of climate scientists e-mails - led the parade of the dubious. Clearly climate experts did not want data that contradicts their climate models to be given credibility and publicity. All of science has been tainted with this revelation of the arrogance and pettiness (and lack of trustworthiness) of scientists.

Ten there were the angry Third Worlder's - ""All week we have heard a string of excuses from northern countries [read: rich countries] to make adequate reparations for the ecological crisis that they have caused," said Lidy Nacpil, of the Jubilee South Coalition. "We are taking to the streets to demand that the ecological debt is repaid to the people of the South [read: poor Third World]," she said in a statement."(http://www.cumberlink.com)

The developing countries "... rejected as "insignificant" an EU pledge of 7.2 billion euros (10.6 billion dollars) to help them tackle global warming."

"The Group of 77 developing nations -- actually a caucus of 130 states that includes China -- said the proposal fails to address the issue of setting up long-term financing mechanisms. "I believe they are not only insignificant, they actually breed even more distrust on the intentions of European leaders on climate change," said Lumumba Stanislaus Dia-Ping of Sudan." (AFP news report)

Anti-capitalist demonstrators, the usual so-called "anarchists" were swarming to Copenhagen. Danish police used helicopters, dogs, and all manner of law-enforcement tools to prevent these folks (who attend, disrupt, and use violent protests ant every major international meeting) from coming into the country.

So, the only economies that have the capital to help with climate change ARE the capitalist economies! Wassup with that?

Here is the other mess - According to Agence France Press - "The draft text also leaves open three possible targets for an overall reduction of global carbon emissions by 2020, compared with 1990 levels -- by 50 percent, by 80 percent and by 95 percent. Industrialised countries favour the 50 percent goal, but major emerging economies led by China balk at any such target unless it is made clear that rich countries will assume the near totality of the burden. The US Congress has yet to pass a comprehensive plan on climate change but it is taking action on one front -- ordering an in-depth "carbon audit" of the tax code which some fear offers Americans incentives to be polluters."