December 27, 2009

Climate Summit A Failure

Now that year-end festivities have waned, folks around the world have taken time to examine the "Climate Summit" at Copenhagen, Denmark, four days before Christmas.  The consensus seems to be that the pow-wow was a waste of time.

Andreas Carlgren, environment minister of Sweden and president of the European Union, said the meeting had been a “great failure” because other nations had rejected a timetable for climate emission reductions.

He stated after the meeting: “It was obvious that the United States and China didn’t want more than we achieved at Copenhagen.  Obstacles created by those countries were part of what we regretted.”

Jiang Yu, spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, retorted that Britain was seeking to “shirk the obligations of developed countries to their developing counterparts -- and foment discord among developing countries -- but the attempt was doomed to fail.”

Ms. Jiang said the British “should “correct their mistakes, fulfill their obligations to developing countries in an earnest way, and stay away from activities that hinder the international community’s cooperation in coping with climate change.”

PERMIT  PRICE

The New York Times points out "...the Copenhagen accord failed to satisfy the market.  The price of permits to emit greenhouse gases tumbled" the next day -- although they recovered some ground on the following day.

"The initial fall reflected fading hopes for deeper emissions-cut in Europe -- and for the rapid emergence of a global emissions-trading market.

"In contrast to many Europeans, who were unhappy with the deal struck last weekend, Chinese leaders have been pleased by the outcome, which allow them to walk away with their initial proposal – a 45 percent target for cutting the intensity of carbon emissions by 2020 – almost entirely intact."

WARMING  LIMIT

U.S. President Barack Obama -- and leaders from China, India, Brazil and South Africa -- limited global-warming activities to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit.  They also agreed to donate $100 billion dollars annually -- by the end of the next decade -- to poor nations that risk bearing the brunt of global warming.

Our view is that the Copenhagen Conference did little to reduce man-made climate emissions -- but quieted somewhat the feelings of guilt by the United States, Great Britain, India and China.

The conference also postponed a global, starvation crisis in under-developed areas.

Finally, however, Mother Nature and Father Time will prevail.  They will adjust the balance of living creatures and natural resources by wars, disease, starvation and human knowledge of survival.

In the meantime, we must rely on brotherly love, relief and truth.

PARTING SHOT

The difference between a prejudice and a conviction is that you can explain a conviction without getting angry.

By Lindsey Wilger Williams, retired newspaper publisher and syndicated columnist