Rudd’s weak targets undermine progress at UN
In the final week of negotiations before the UN climate summit in Copenhagen, it is clear that the talks are at a serious impasse. The main stumbling block is the near total lack of ambition by rich countries.
The science is clear that we need developed countries to commit to reduce emissions by 40% or more by 2020. When Kevin Rudd announced Australia’s target range of 5-25% cuts by 2020, he sent a signal to the world that even the richest, most prosperous and creative countries on earth are not willing to do what is needed.
Unless countries like Australia put stronger targets on the table, it is difficult to see how we are going to get anything other than empty rhetoric from Copenhagen. Kevin Rudd is in an increasingly awkward position of being “Friend of the Chair” of the Copenhagen talks, while clinging to his position of “enemy of the climate” due to his weak targets and relentless push for loopholes.
If you haven’t taken the time to make your voice heard - please take action now and let Mr Rudd and your local MP know that you want a strong climate treaty at Copenhagen.
November 8th, 2009 at 5:13 pm
Democratically elected governemnts are probably balking at the idea of signing Copenhagen as it will be a clear liability for their re-election prospects. For example, if Rudd signs a $7billion dollar cheque to the UN, money that will go to foreign governments with questionable human rights records, I doubt he will get a second term. With the refugee fiasco playing out and damaging his popularity, he is probably glad Copenhagen is failing … one less dent in the opinion polls.
Rudd’s hysterical rant against freedom of speech aimed at skeptics and opponents of his ridiculus ETS (no doubt timed to be a distraction from his refugee disaster) has seriously dented his credentials to be the leader of a democracy.
To think that Australia’s 1 % contribution to global emissions warrants the world to pay any attention to what we do or don’t do is, I’m sorry to say, delusional. Sure, poor countries will be glad to take our money, but that is all. They don’t give too figs about whether or not our reducing of 1% to 0.6% of global emissions will make a difference (it won’t) - they just want the money.
Hopefully the working families of Australia won’t be burdened by the costs of a ludicrous ETS or a yearly $7billion dollar tax bill payable to the UN.
November 11th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
“…The science is clear…”
Not quite!
Are you aware of the recent Univerity of Bristiol study that shows the environment is stronger at absorbing atmopspheric carbon than modelled …
http://bristol.ac.uk/news/2009/6649.html
oops, and it looks like another error has been made …
“Another result of the study is that emissions from deforestation might have been overestimated by between 18 and 75 per cent. This would agree with results published last week in Nature Geoscience by a team led by Guido van der Werf from VU University Amsterdam. They re-visited deforestation data and concluded that emissions have been overestimated by at least a factor of two.”
November 24th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
Does anybody know what the Climate Treaty says? What in fact will Rudd be signing? None of us really know - he could be signing a Treaty that overrides every Australian’s right to freedom under a one world government, who knows.
Have been reading some scientific findings recently that state global warming is a cyclic thing - found “AIR CON the seriously inconvenient truth about global warming” interesting.
I have personally made some headway in making a difference by changing the way I live, harvesting water and gearing up my house to go solar, growing veges/chooks, surely each one of us can make some changes to make a difference and decrease our consumption.
Signing a Treaty may give some an excuse not to make changes personally, mind you at a financial cost which may or may not go toward aiding the reduction of global warming. I believe this cost is estimated to be about $3,000 per household per year at a minimum. I would rather spend this money on my own household sustainability thanks!