Environmental Law

ONCE AGAIN, INTERNATIONAL CLIMATE-CHANGE PACT IS A NON-STARTER

By STEPHEN HOLZER

     Despite their high-sounding rhetoric, no leader is going to throw his nation's economy into recession--or worse--to achieve cutbacks to stop "global warming".  As the Australian Herald Sun recently reported about newly-elected Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd:

PRIME Minister Kevin Rudd last night did an about-face on deep cuts to greenhouse gas emissions, days after Australia's delegation backed the plan at the climate talks in Bali.

A government representative at the talks this week said Australia backed a 25-40 per cent cut on 1990 emission levels by 2020.

But after warnings it would lead to huge rises in electricity prices, Mr Rudd said the Government would not support the target.

     And today Reuters reported via Yahoo!

India and China objected on Saturday to a draft deal at U.N. talks in Bali to launch negotiations on a global pact by 2009 to fight climate change, saying rich nations should do more to lead the way.

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"This is completely unacceptable", a source close to the Chinese delegation said. Soon after resuming on Saturday morning, the talks were suspended to try to resolve the tangle.

     But, of course, Al Gore could not overcome his Bush Derangement Syndrome long enough to blame anyone but his own country:   "'My country is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali,' the former US vice-president told 2,000 of the 12,000 people attending the conference on Thursday."  (Financial Times)

     In light of the above-referenced positions of Australia, China and India, one must ask:  What alternate planet does Al Gore occupy?  Perhaps he could devote his energy to saving that planet and leaving ours alone.

Full post as published by Environmental Legal Blogs on December 15, 2007 (boomark / email).