Barack and Wen – the world is watching
A day after the US offered a statistically dressed up 17% cut in CO2 emissions, China has today unveiled its own figures for tackling climate change. In a similar shoddy attempt to disguise their own myopia China has tied its offer to a ‘carbon intensity’ benchmark that serves its own ends. As depressing as it was to watch world leaders clamour for the moral high ground when Bono was knocking at their doors, from a purely selfish perspective you could just about comprehend the reluctance of nations to get involved in African debt rescheduling – the natural resources plundered and the Continent mired in conflict and corruption, what was the advantage? In terms of climate change then this heartless logic does not stand. Both the US and China have huge populations on their seaboards, they both rely heavily on a agriculture sector that has reached an equilibrium with the present day water supplies and in China’s case their expanding population is going to need a larger and more reliable water supply to feed its population than currently exists. Barack and Wen, do all the brinkmanship you need for your domestic audiences, but make sure you have a plan B that you will reveal behind the scenes if needed. The world is watching and history will be rightly scathing to those who knowingly usher in an era of land lost to sea, dried river beds and oceanic deserts.
A very insightful look into the geo politcal climate Mr Brown & one feels this would be better posted on some Green peace site.
However on the good news side of things for skiers, with global warming & climate chage on the way with irresponsible governments failing to tackle the issue, the planet is destined for another ice age which means snow galore & Skiers will rule the world & snow boarders will be looking for a tow.
There is also a chance that Europe will get colder through climate change, its northerly latitude is greatly affected by the Gulf Stream which relies on the status quo of the polar ice cap, when that goes, and that is a pretty safe bet it will there could be all sorts of havoc. I am not a climate scientist so cannot calculate the likelihood of this but there is a chance – what this means for more equatorial regions is frightening. I have spoken to a few climate sceptics over the years and they seem to think they know better than the scientists – this is something that is completely beyond me. If my knee hurts I go a doctor, my car wheel makes a knocking sound then it is a mechanic for me and should my wife file for divorce I would Google a lawyer. What gives these ‘flat earthers’ the ability to develop a scepticism that comes from a knowledge base entirely devoid of a climate science education is beyond me. Whatever wackiness that perpetuates this dwindling number, I pray that they are right at the end of the day. This isn’t a battle of minds for me, it is far more critical than being right or wrong. If I am wrong then we will have used the earth’s precious resources a little more sparingly, allowing for more to be used by future generations. You could argue that it might cost a few percentage points in GDP, maybe not, maybe the innovation actually spur advances and improvements in productivity? I am a skier and have a vested interest in keeping the glaciers and ice caps. My cards are on the table. But what some people forget is that if these changes take place then we are all affected. The individual who is sick of inward migration. The farmer whose water supply dwindles. The inhabitant of a coastal area or low lying island or flood plain. The fisherman. The scuba diver. The Ornithologist. The elderly or young. The hungry or thirsty in developing nations. For those listening, the warnings are there.