INTERNATIONAL EDITORIAL: Copenhagen climate change conference: 'Fourteen days to seal history's judgment on this generation'
Today 56 newspapers in 45 countries take the unprecedented step of speaking with one voice through a common editorial. We do so because humanity faces a profound emergency.
Unless we combine to take decisive action, climate change will ravage our planet, and with it our prosperity and security. The dangers have been becoming apparent for a generation. Now the facts have started to speak: 11 of the past 14 years have been the warmest on record, the Arctic ice-cap is melting and last year's inflamed oil and food prices provide a foretaste of future havoc. In scientific journals the question is no longer whether humans are to blame, but how little time we have got left to limit the damage. Yet so far the world's response has been feeble and half-hearted.
Climate change has been caused over centuries, has consequences that will endure for all time and our prospects of taming it will be determined in the next 14 days. We call on the representatives of the 192 countries gathered in Copenhagen not to hesitate, not to fall into dispute, not to blame each other but to seize opportunity from the greatest modern failure of politics. This should not be a fight between the rich world and the poor world, or between east and west. Climate change affects everyone, and must be solved by everyone.
Anybody wanna bet this won't be a topic of conversation at tonight's City Council meeting?
This climate summit is an exercise in American arrogance and ignorance. America is going to get fleeced by these small countries promising they want to help but will have to have money. "10 billion is not enough". These countries stand to get wildly improved energy production at the cost of American dollars and also get to be worshiped for having almost 100% "green" energy in their nation.
ReplyDeleteOther than the quote, these are just my views on what I've heard leaders say at the summit. Everyone is asking for money and only America is going to pay it.
It might be in our national interest to help poorer nations develop cheap forms of green energy. Access to cheap energy is a foundation of development and helps to stabilize. Stable nations cause less problems.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it's probably in the national interests of the EU and other powers for the same reason, which is a good argument for spreading the burden.
ReplyDeleteSome of the smaller nations are just trying to save themselves from the climate damaging histories of other nations. Having contributed a comparatively minute amount to the environmental problems at hand, they will often bear the earliest brunt of continuing climate change if proper actions aren't taken, perhaps even facing complete extinction through very little to no fault of their own.
ReplyDeleteIt makes sense for those who've created the majority of the pollution over decades to be responsible for the majority of corrective actions. It's matter of accountability.
By your own logic, why not use the money to improve where most of the "climate damaging history" is taking place? Use every bit of our money on ourselves where it will do the most good and where it belongs.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an either/or, Jake. It's both.
ReplyDeleteAnd, if we're smart, a lot of the associated equipment production will take place in the U.S. so that, regardless of where in the world the funding is aimed, it will generate jobs here.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we just finished an eight year stint with an administration that chose to ignore science for the benefit of the petroleum industry. That put us behind in terms of ramping up production but we can at least partially recover if we act quickly.