UN First Discussion on Climate Change
The U.N. is having discussions about partner nations’ measures to curb climate change. This is great news, as this is the first U.N. gathering of its kind and the planet desperately needs leaders to start saving it. Sadly, this is pretty much the extent of the good news about this discussion. It is set to end on Wednesday, August 1st so perhaps some good news will follow.
As usual, the same tired comment from rich nations is being used, which can be paraphrased thusly: “We need poor countries to commit to emission caps or we will not take part”. Everybody knows that nothing happens in a group of nations until at least one of them becomes an example for the rest. Short of utter worldwide disaster, there won’t be a situation where all parties on the planet choose to work in alignment to reverse climate change. More constructively, it might make sense for these rich nations to commit to moderate pollution emission standards until poorer nations take part, at which point the more intense emissions caps could automatically take effect. This would exert a strong pressure on those poor nations to join the climate change treaty, as they would be seen as holding up real progress by not signing it.
The other excuse for inaction from rich nations like the United States is that committing to firm emission reduction standards will be bad for the economy. This statement seems to neglect the concept of investment, which means you are losing money in the short term in order to gain much more in the long run once your investment begins to pay back. You can’t get something from nothing, right?
Keeping today’s shareholders happy will never be as important as keeping tomorrow’s shareholders around, seeing as the latter will lose everything if the environment on Earth bottoms out due to inactivity by the people who have the most power to effect change. Besides, it has been shown on ECO BIZ many times that being green always saves resources and lowers the cost of doing business and in some cases can even create entirely new revenue streams for a business.
It is nice that the rhetoric from these talks is beginning to be more accurate. Consider this quote from British Prime Minister Gordon Brown: “We know that the gains from global prosperity have been disproportionately enjoyed by the people in industrialized countries and that the consequences of climate change will be disproportionately felt by the poorest who are least responsible for it — making the issue of climate change one of justice as much as economic development”. It is important to note that this two day gathering at the U.N. is carbon neutral, as the pollution caused by attendance is being offset by investment in a biofuel project in Kenya.
Stay Tuned to Sundance Channel’s THE GREEN on Tuesday Nights at 8 PM E/P.
