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APEC Climate Call is Just Hot Air, Say Activists
Environmental experts dismissed an agreement from Asia Pacific leaders setting "aspirational" goals on climate change as an empty gesture that may actually undermine efforts to halt global warming.
Climate change topped the agenda at this weekend's Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in Sydney, its 21 members agreeing to long-term goals but failing to set binding targets in areas such as greenhouse gas emissions.
Australian Prime Minister John Howard described it as "a very important milestone" toward a future global agreement that drew in both rich and poor countries.
Activists were not impressed, talking of a political stunt to promote an agreement that lacked any teeth.
"Without legally binding targets for reduction in greenhouse gas emissions the Sydney Declaration is meaningless and irrelevant in addressing climate change," Greenpeace Southeast Asia energy campaigner Abigail Jabines said.
"It is a political stunt. Developing nations of the Asia Pacific region cannot afford to accept lip service instead of action."
Jabines accused US President George W. Bush and summit host Howard of trying to undermine the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change, which both leaders have refused to ratify.
She said Bush and Howard were attempting to frame a new global agreement on climate change that did not include the binding emissions targets on developed nations included in the Kyoto deal, which is due to expire in 2012.
"If John Howard and George Bush are sincere in addressing climate change, they should ratify Kyoto Protocol and embrace real solutions," she said.
Professor Hugh Outhred, an energy specialist at the University of New South Wales, said general statements such as at Sydney allowed political leaders to appear to be addressing climate change while doing little.
"The main practical implication could be a delay in doing anything," he said. "They gain time, they are trying to do as little as possible."
The Sydney Declaration says the world has to "slow, stop and then reverse" the growth in greenhouse gas emissions.
It also encourages APEC members to reduce energy intensity by 25 percent by 2030, a goal Greenpeace said most countries would reach anyway.
Australian former diplomat Richard Broinowski dismissed Howard's suggestion that this agreement drew in rich and poor nations for the first time.
"That hasn't happened at all, Kyoto is still the main element for that," said Brionowski, Canberra's former ambassador to South Korea, Vietnam and Mexico.
"This is a sideshow. It's not a breakthrough at all."
The declaration reaffirmed the United Nations as the major forum for talks on climate change, a clause pushed by China and developing nations determined not to allow Australia and the United States to hijack the process.
While Chinese President Hu Jintao signed up to the statement, he pointedly told fully developed nations that they had to live up to targets laid out in the Kyoto Protocol.
He also reiterated support for the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities," code for meaning that emerging countries should have less stringent emission targets than developed nations.
Julie-Anne Richards, from the Climate Action Network Australia, said that environmentalists were looking to a UN-brokered meeting in Bali in December for progress on climate change because the APEC statement meant nothing.
"The world doesn't have time for voluntary action, what we need is real action, real targets and real timetables," she said.
There was biting criticism too from the Los Angeles Times, which said the "aspirational" Sydney statement was political theatre designed to boost Howard's green credentials before the conservative leader faces an election later this year.
"For aspirational, read: voluntary, vague and useless for anything but padding a fading prime minister's environmental resume," it said in an online editorial.
Copyright © 2007 Agence France Presse
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GLOBAL WARMING DIVERSION. June 2, 2007
After six years of stonewalling & deception to impede global warming mitigation, Bush and his allies now throw another bone to appease the world community with comparable meaningless rhetoric.
The dangerous manipulation of essential scientific data used by his team to conceal and derail corrective measures for this threat and other vital environmental reforms has always been apparent--and all indicators still show that their motives have not changed.
Contrary to their assertions, measures to reduce greenhouse gases could only improve our economy by lessening our trade deficits, and improving our security by reducing our dependance on foreign oil. We could also regain some of our lost world respect that has resulted from our opposition Kyoto while arrogantly contributing disproportionally to carbon pollution.
Evidence linking carbon pollution to warming has been as close to certain as science can be for many years. Its causes, consequences, and mitigation requirements have been documented by many dedicated environmental organizations including The Union of Concerned Scientists.
Often overlooked is the fact that the same measures needed to mitigate global warming would be necessary even if it were not an issue. Conservation, alternative energy development, anti- pollution refinements, etc are essential for other vital environmental reforms such as air and water quality, reductions in toxic waste generation, land preservation, etc.
The environmental and social damage from our indifference to carbon pollution and related environmental measures can only worsen if we allow this reckless and unlearned president to continue this war on the environment.
These people are just buying time for all the major oil and gas companies to maximise their profits before having to actully "do" something about global warming. Their incessant greed is readily apparent. Instead of re-tooling their industries to "maximise" their profits using alternative technology, they show their true colors by stalling, equivocating, and outright denying that the problem even exists.
Bush is s sockpuppet and a handy target for our slings and arrows, but behind him is the real power, the fraction of 1% that owns and controls their little people. The oligarchy that owns the Fed that prints the money. The ones we seldom hear about...
95% of the atmosphere mass is below 60,000ft.
50% is below 18,000ft.
95% of weather occurs below 30,000ft.
Above 35,000ft the temp is -56C or colder.
On a clear day you can see about 10 miles (60,000ft).
The runways at IAD, LAX, MKC, etc., are 10,000ft long.
Take a look next time you're up or google/earth.
So bury that Hummer and join the fun.
"slow, stop and then perverse"
Obviously the Fascist Corptocracy has concluded that children cause climate change - they are doing their best to remove the cause.
I'm glad you brought up the subject of children WHATFOOLS.
I wonder what most of the children would think, if they read some of the opinions expressed here, and those on other strings that relate to Earth's enviroment? So often we read an opinions such as this: ( Humanity may die off, but the planet will survive and be better off if we all did die.)
Please just close your eyes for moment, sit back and really pretend that you are ten years old. Pretend you hope that when you're an adult you will perhaps be a vetenarian, a doctor, a nurse, a teacher or a oceanographer, whateever you might hope to be. However you have learned, that humanity is killling your planet and your chances of being anything, never having children to raise and care for, never having fun or enjoying life as your ancestors did.
Of course, if you are a child of some third world country, or a child of a race that has been depressed, you know you likely don't have that chance anyway, so go ahead and kill the planet you selfish, short term thinking adults, since you are hell bent on doing it anyway.
As a child, I have no say in the matter. Why didn't my parents do something to stop the madness, before it was too late.?
George W Bush and John Howard (Australia's PM who was host of the conference in Sydney) are living proof that a leopard can change its spots. Ha ha.
Howard, the world's greatest environmental vandal, after GWB, is on filmed record less than 12 months ago declaring, that "the jury was still out on climate change"
They both stated during the conference that the nuclear option, for generating electricity, was good for climate change.
"Please just close your eyes for moment, sit back and really pretend that you are ten years old. Pretend you hope that when you're an adult you will perhaps be a vetenarian, a doctor, a nurse, a teacher or a oceanographer, whateever you might hope to be. However you have learned, that humanity is killling your planet and your chances of being anything, never having children to raise and care for, never having fun or enjoying life as your ancestors did."
I was ten when I was teken to see "Soylent Green" because I liked science fiction. Twenty years ago, I thought that we were going to avoid the fate presented in it. Now I find it hard not to think I'll end up like Edward G. Robinson's character in the film, Sol Roth (his final role).
Far better for children to know early that they are part of a destructive species that nonetheless has the ability to avert destruction, including self-destruction, than for them to believe that they are part of a loving species that goes off on a mass killing spree now and again because of some odd quirk in its collective brain.
"Why didn't my parents do something to stop the madness, before it was too late.?"
Parents are only former children who were ambushed into parenthood by hormones & propaganda. Not a happy, nor very instructive, fate. ;)
we all have to be prepared to give a little for the benefit of all. it seems that those who have the most, are the most reluctant to do that. mabey a good old storming of the castles will bring about some sensibilities. for the children. a little up side the face woudn't hurt also. :)
George W Bush and John Howard are ideologically short sighted dinosaurs stuck in the past.....sooooo 70's it's pathetic.....
snydly,
Not to be nit-picky, but, even in the US Mid Atlantic, I'd consider just 10 miles vizibility to be a rather hazy day. 80 miles would be a clear day. But, the standard on airport METARS is to report "10 miles" even when it is greater.
But your point about the thinness and fragility of the atmosphere is well taken. Complex life can only survive in the bottom 3.5 miles of it measuring from sea level.
Scum rules.
Scum rises to the top
The global climate is so enormous, so huge, so monstrously big....the idea that human beings can alter the climate of the globe, merely by passing gas.......is......in a word.......delusional.
Frankly, those on the liberal/left pushing the idea of global warming might want to hire a professional and talk to them about their toilet training.
Snydly, with respect, your figures are off. I don't know exactly, but would bet that 50% of the atmosphere by weight lies within 5,000feet of the surface, and that 95% lies within 20,000 feet.
Snydly, with respect, your figures are off. I don't know exactly, but would bet that 50% of the atmosphere by weight lies within 5,000feet of the surface, and that 95% lies within 20,000 feet.
trip2crazy, it is you who are delusional.
If Naomi Klein is right, these guys have no intention of doing anything to avoid environmental disaster. Indeed, disaster is precisely what Disaster Capitalism needs:
http://books.guardian.co.uk/shockdoctrine/story/0,,2165053,00.html
Both 9/11 and Katrina have proved so profitable that the prevailing attitude toward future disasters is "Bring 'em on!"
trip2crazy September 10th, 2007 12:31 pm
"The global climate is so enormous...monstrously big….the idea that human beings can alter the climate...merely by passing gas…….is……delusional....those on the liberal/left pushing the idea of global warming might want to hire a professional and talk....about their toilet training."
Conditioned psychological DENIAL patterns are the hobgoblin of SIMPLE MINDS and MENTAL MIDGETS......
Flippin Crazy or what ever you call yourself....your conclusions belong in the TOILET....
Someone suggested that by responding to theses NUT-JOBS they win and we at CDreams lose.....The reality is WE ALL LOSE in the long-run. MSM cronies by constantly seeding doubt into average American Homes.... Prolongs the inevitable CO2 Policy Initiatives to reverse what will be the greatest single threat to Global Bio-Mass Diversity....
Hey CRAZY, the kind of gas being passed by burning coal is not the kind you and I pass. Well, of course I'm speaking for myself there. I assume you are human.
The twenty foot long ice tube samples taken at the Earth's poles tell the story to the day, from over a million years hense. What has happened to our enviroment and our atmosphere during just the past fifty years, has never once occured in over a million years.
When highly qualified scientists use the words proven scientific data, dramatic and alarming in the same sentence, we should listen. You too, ___even crazy people should not be stupid.