Image above: The German Autobahn at night. From (http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/04/08/more-speed-restrictions-coming-to-autobahn/).
Have you noticed how unnoticed is the UN Conference on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa. Perhaps the event is so depressing that the media cannot bear to cover the events.
Kyoto
I can understand this. It began with the Kyoto Protocol in 1992 when the United States refused to ratify the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that designated a mandatory reduction of industrial/energy CO2 emissions. Part of the problem for the US was that the "developing" countries, including China, would not have been subject to the same restrictions as the industrial nations.
Copenhagen
Almost twenty years later, in 2009, during the UN climate conference in Copenhagen, there was a chance for America to get onboard with supporting life on the planet. We had a new president committed to change, but we learned that Barrack Obama was capable of wrecking the planet's future to keep America "competitive" in maximizing corporate profits. He parachuted in at the end the 15th Conference of Parties (COPS15) meeting and wrecked what little could have been accomplished in Copenhagen.
I suppose the Great Depression had a lot to do with that. Although we were in the dark, Obama was aware that even the $trillions the US Federal Reserve was secretly pouring into the banks of the world would not save the financial system. The fiat money simply would not jumpstart a world poor in energy limping along a damaged ecosystem that was leading to climate chaos.
Cancun
In 2010 The 16th Conference of Parties meetings held in 2010 in Cancun, Mexico (COPS16) were even more pathetic than events in Copenhagen. It appeared to be an international college-beach-break for politicians, lobbyists, and cronies. As the BP oil spill continued to destroy the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico you could almost sense the sea rising to wash over the poolside cabanas on the beach patios of the hotels where conference members slept off hangovers from the late night revelries.
Durban
Now we come to COPS17 in Durban, South Africa. This will be the last chance to get our CO2 regulations in order before the twenty-year Kyoto Protocol runs out in 2012. It will be very hard to bring together meaningful mandatory international efforts afterwards.China and the United States are to two biggest CO2 polluter nations in the world. The US has a substantially higher per capita rate of generating CO2 put China is rising fast. If a Sino-American agreement could be hacked out much could be done.
But instead of taking his foot off the gas, Obama has floored it by doubling-down on the bet that more industrialization would lead America back to economic growth and jobs. He's betting on more government stimulus will finally light a fire under growth do he will get re-elected, we will get richer, and China can go off to whither and die.
EU Summit
But even he knows that the trouble brewing in Europe (together a bigger economy that the US) is going to sink the ship of Western Industrialization. The European stock markets are almost back to trough they found themselves during the crash of 2008. The Euro countries are in free fall over the fate of sovereign debt contagement amongst its members.
The EU Summit this week is overshadowing the COPS17 conference in South Africa. If, as is likely, Germany and France cannot come up with a unified front on a strategy for saving the Euro in the next day or so, there is not going to be time to reach an agreement to save the currency. Any solution is complicated by the fact that only 17 nations (Euro Zone) of the the 27 nation European Union actually use the Euro currency.
Failure of a credible solution will trigger a chain reaction of sovereign defaults that cannot be backstopped. Standard and Poors has already warned 16 European nations of a downgrade of their credit worthiness (including six with AAA ratings). The financial contagement will rage from bottom to top (Greece to Germany) and lead to a worldwide economic failure. And that's the good news.
Climate Change Solution
Regardless of what happens in Durban COPS17 conference halls, the events his Friday, December 9th, 20011, at the EU Summit that relate to European debt will have more to determine the fate of Climate Change.
Many predict no solution is in sight, knowing full well that a world wide depression will likely follow a Euro collapse. It's time to ease ourselves out of the fast lane and search for an off ramp. Maybe we can find some shelter.
.
The Fast Lane
SUBHEAD: It's time to ease ourselves out of the fast lane and search for an off ramp. Maybe we can find some shelter.
By Juan Wilson on 7 December 2011 for Island Breath -
(http://islandbreath.blogspot.com/2011/12/fast-lane.html)
Image above: The German Autobahn at night. From (http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/04/08/more-speed-restrictions-coming-to-autobahn/).
Have you noticed how unnoticed is the UN Conference on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa. Perhaps the event is so depressing that the media cannot bear to cover the events.
Kyoto
I can understand this. It began with the Kyoto Protocol in 1992 when the United States refused to ratify the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that designated a mandatory reduction of industrial/energy CO2 emissions. Part of the problem for the US was that the "developing" countries, including China, would not have been subject to the same restrictions as the industrial nations.
Copenhagen
Almost twenty years later, in 2009, during the UN climate conference in Copenhagen, there was a chance for America to get onboard with supporting life on the planet. We had a new president committed to change, but we learned that Barrack Obama was capable of wrecking the planet's future to keep America "competitive" in maximizing corporate profits. He parachuted in at the end the 15th Conference of Parties (COPS15) meeting and wrecked what little could have been accomplished in Copenhagen.
I suppose the Great Depression had a lot to do with that. Although we were in the dark, Obama was aware that even the $trillions the US Federal Reserve was secretly pouring into the banks of the world would not save the financial system. The fiat money simply would not jumpstart a world poor in energy limping along a damaged ecosystem that was leading to climate chaos.
Cancun
In 2010 The 16th Conference of Parties meetings held in 2010 in Cancun, Mexico (COPS16) were even more pathetic than events in Copenhagen. It appeared to be an international college-beach-break for politicians, lobbyists, and cronies. As the BP oil spill continued to destroy the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico you could almost sense the sea rising to wash over the poolside cabanas on the beach patios of the hotels where conference members slept off hangovers from the late night revelries.
Durban
Now we come to COPS17 in Durban, South Africa. This will be the last chance to get our CO2 regulations in order before the twenty-year Kyoto Protocol runs out in 2012. It will be very hard to bring together meaningful mandatory international efforts afterwards.China and the United States are to two biggest CO2 polluter nations in the world. The US has a substantially higher per capita rate of generating CO2 put China is rising fast. If a Sino-American agreement could be hacked out much could be done.
But instead of taking his foot off the gas, Obama has floored it by doubling-down on the bet that more industrialization would lead America back to economic growth and jobs. He's betting on more government stimulus will finally light a fire under growth do he will get re-elected, we will get richer, and China can go off to whither and die.
EU Summit
But even he knows that the trouble brewing in Europe (together a bigger economy that the US) is going to sink the ship of Western Industrialization. The European stock markets are almost back to trough they found themselves during the crash of 2008. The Euro countries are in free fall over the fate of sovereign debt contagement amongst its members.
The EU Summit this week is overshadowing the COPS17 conference in South Africa. If, as is likely, Germany and France cannot come up with a unified front on a strategy for saving the Euro in the next day or so, there is not going to be time to reach an agreement to save the currency. Any solution is complicated by the fact that only 17 nations (Euro Zone) of the the 27 nation European Union actually use the Euro currency.
Failure of a credible solution will trigger a chain reaction of sovereign defaults that cannot be backstopped. Standard and Poors has already warned 16 European nations of a downgrade of their credit worthiness (including six with AAA ratings). The financial contagement will rage from bottom to top (Greece to Germany) and lead to a worldwide economic failure. And that's the good news.
Climate Change Solution
Regardless of what happens in Durban COPS17 conference halls, the events his Friday, December 9th, 20011, at the EU Summit that relate to European debt will have more to determine the fate of Climate Change.
Many predict no solution is in sight, knowing full well that a world wide depression will likely follow a Euro collapse. It's time to ease ourselves out of the fast lane and search for an off ramp. Maybe we can find some shelter.
.
Image above: The German Autobahn at night. From (http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/04/08/more-speed-restrictions-coming-to-autobahn/).
Have you noticed how unnoticed is the UN Conference on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa. Perhaps the event is so depressing that the media cannot bear to cover the events.
Kyoto
I can understand this. It began with the Kyoto Protocol in 1992 when the United States refused to ratify the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change that designated a mandatory reduction of industrial/energy CO2 emissions. Part of the problem for the US was that the "developing" countries, including China, would not have been subject to the same restrictions as the industrial nations.
Copenhagen
Almost twenty years later, in 2009, during the UN climate conference in Copenhagen, there was a chance for America to get onboard with supporting life on the planet. We had a new president committed to change, but we learned that Barrack Obama was capable of wrecking the planet's future to keep America "competitive" in maximizing corporate profits. He parachuted in at the end the 15th Conference of Parties (COPS15) meeting and wrecked what little could have been accomplished in Copenhagen.
I suppose the Great Depression had a lot to do with that. Although we were in the dark, Obama was aware that even the $trillions the US Federal Reserve was secretly pouring into the banks of the world would not save the financial system. The fiat money simply would not jumpstart a world poor in energy limping along a damaged ecosystem that was leading to climate chaos.
Cancun
In 2010 The 16th Conference of Parties meetings held in 2010 in Cancun, Mexico (COPS16) were even more pathetic than events in Copenhagen. It appeared to be an international college-beach-break for politicians, lobbyists, and cronies. As the BP oil spill continued to destroy the ecosystem of the Gulf of Mexico you could almost sense the sea rising to wash over the poolside cabanas on the beach patios of the hotels where conference members slept off hangovers from the late night revelries.
Durban
Now we come to COPS17 in Durban, South Africa. This will be the last chance to get our CO2 regulations in order before the twenty-year Kyoto Protocol runs out in 2012. It will be very hard to bring together meaningful mandatory international efforts afterwards.China and the United States are to two biggest CO2 polluter nations in the world. The US has a substantially higher per capita rate of generating CO2 put China is rising fast. If a Sino-American agreement could be hacked out much could be done.
But instead of taking his foot off the gas, Obama has floored it by doubling-down on the bet that more industrialization would lead America back to economic growth and jobs. He's betting on more government stimulus will finally light a fire under growth do he will get re-elected, we will get richer, and China can go off to whither and die.
EU Summit
But even he knows that the trouble brewing in Europe (together a bigger economy that the US) is going to sink the ship of Western Industrialization. The European stock markets are almost back to trough they found themselves during the crash of 2008. The Euro countries are in free fall over the fate of sovereign debt contagement amongst its members.
The EU Summit this week is overshadowing the COPS17 conference in South Africa. If, as is likely, Germany and France cannot come up with a unified front on a strategy for saving the Euro in the next day or so, there is not going to be time to reach an agreement to save the currency. Any solution is complicated by the fact that only 17 nations (Euro Zone) of the the 27 nation European Union actually use the Euro currency.
Failure of a credible solution will trigger a chain reaction of sovereign defaults that cannot be backstopped. Standard and Poors has already warned 16 European nations of a downgrade of their credit worthiness (including six with AAA ratings). The financial contagement will rage from bottom to top (Greece to Germany) and lead to a worldwide economic failure. And that's the good news.
Climate Change Solution
Regardless of what happens in Durban COPS17 conference halls, the events his Friday, December 9th, 20011, at the EU Summit that relate to European debt will have more to determine the fate of Climate Change.
Many predict no solution is in sight, knowing full well that a world wide depression will likely follow a Euro collapse. It's time to ease ourselves out of the fast lane and search for an off ramp. Maybe we can find some shelter.
.
1 comment :
In the U.S. sexual predators, scandals of nude celebrities, extramarital affairs of presidental candidates are being fed to the American public through the main news channels, completely hiding what's happening at the Durban conference. Even China has committed to lower their CO2 emission, but the U.S. is completely ignorant. You can follow the Durban conference on a daily basis with live interviews in English on CCTV9 if you have a satellite dish (channel 2053). The poisining of minds in the U.S. is now even stronger than the poisoning of the body. We have to make changes here in Hawai`i, because the big Empire is unwilling and unable.
Post a Comment