Leaders of the world’s richest and most powerful nations are meeting in Heiligendamm, Germany over the next few days for their annual G8 summit. And, true to form, their agenda promises comfort only to fools. After all, their gabfests will produce nothing but more CO2 emissions (i.e. hot air); which, of course, is ironic considering that forging an agreement on a “substantial cut” in emission of greenhouse gases is the main objective of this year’s summit.
[G8 Summit: more hot air about global warming…, The iPINIONS Journal, June 7, 2007]
This is the opening paragraph of the commentary I wrote on last year’s G8 Summit. But such is the predictable nature of these annual summits that this paragraph can serve as the opening paragraph to my commentary on this year’s gathering as well.
In fact, the highlight of this year’s summit in Japan is the communiqué in which the G8 leaders promised to “cut carbon emissions by 50 percent by 2050.”
It is instructive to note, however, that within hours of releasing it, U.S. President George W. Bush made it clear that this promise was not worth the paper it was written on. Specifically, he conceded that it was meaningless given that China and India (two of the world’s worst polluters) were not signatories to the communiqué.
Legally mandated measures for reducing greenhouse gas emissions are likely to have significant adverse impacts on GDP growth of developing countries, including India…. This in turn will have serious implications for our poverty alleviation programmes … and this is not the path we wish to pursue.
[Pradipto Ghosh, secretary of India’s environment ministry]
Never mind that, even as written, the G8 promise to cut emissions is merely “aspirational”; i.e., not binding. Not that this would have made any difference.
After all, virtually none of the countries that ratified the Kyoto Protocol – with its legally binding emissions targets – is honoring promises made in this agreement (in many cases their emissions have actually increased). And Kyoto, which climate-change zealots in the European Union ratified in 2002, only called on developed countries to reduce their collective emissions of six key greenhouse gases by 5 percent by the period 2008-2012.
Therefore, none of the G8 leaders in Japan today is under any illusion that his or her country will have to do anything to abide by this year’s communiqué. Which begs the question: why not at least appease the rabid environmentalist – who thrive on global-warming promises that have no rational prospect of ever being fulfilled – by promising to “reduce emissions by 75 percent by 2020”?
(Note: I won’t even address the “emissions trading” scheme which allows rich countries to pollute all they want; provided they pay poor countries – that typically pollute far less – for the privilege: a scheme eerily reminiscent of papal indulgences….)
Meanwhile, compounding the hypocrisy inherent in their promises about climate change, was the hypocrisy inherent in the commitment G8 leaders made to fulfill unfulfilled promises – from previous summits – to alleviate poverty, combat hunger, and double aid to Africa.
And no one personified this latter form of hypocrisy quite like UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown:
Just days ago Mr. Brown was lecturing his fellow Britons on the need to stop wasting food to help combat rising prices and increasing shortages in developing countries.
It is right to remind people that about £8 a week is wasted in our food consumption.
[Gordon Brown]
Yet less than 48 hours later he was flying off with his wife to Japan to join other G8 leaders and their spouses at a six-course lunch (including white asparagus and truffle soup, crab, and a supreme of chicken). This was followed hours later by an eight-course dinner (including caviar, smoked salmon, Kyoto beef, a “G8 fantasy dessert”, and five different wines to ease the digestion).
Meanwhile, the African leaders – who were invited to participate in the G8 gabfest about combating hunger on their continent – were not invited to partake in this G8 feast, which their Japanese hosts called the “blessings of the earth and the sea social dinner”.
Of course, the homogenous Japanese are so clueless that they see nothing racially offensive about having a little monkey imitate U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama in a TV commercial.
But that neither Brown nor any other Western leader (especially George W. Bush) seemed bothered by this slight against the African leaders speaks volumes.
You can’t make this stuff up….
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G8 Summit: more hot air about global warming…
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