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Globally, no rush to mend ways on climate change
Elisabeth Rosenthal, IHT
Last Friday the world’s leading climate scientists announced that global warming was “unequivocal” and predicted catastrophe if emissions caused by human activity were not curbed through swift political responses.
Representatives of 113 nations endorsed the report’s conclusions.
But turning that unanimous support into political action is already running into intense resistance.
Reducing carbon emissions requires fundamental changes in how people live and financial risks for powerful industries, including airlines, car manufacturers, industrial farms and construction companies, scientists and environmental groups said. Even “green” politicians may have trouble following up on their good intentions.
In the days following the release of the report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 3 of the world’s top 10 emitters of greenhouse gases – China, Germany and the United States – made clear the limits of their sacrifice.
(6 Feb 2007)
China blames the west for global warming
Mure Dickie, Financial Times
Rich industrialised nations must take the lead in cutting greenhouse gases since they bear the “unshirkable responsibility” for causing global warming, a Chinese official said on Tuesday.
The comments by a foreign ministry spokeswoman underscore China’s determination not to allow international action on climate change to undermine its economic development.
Rapid economic growth, a huge population and inefficient industry have made China the world’s second largest carbon emitter after the US …
(6 Feb 2007)
Related: China Says Rich Countries Should Take Lead on Global Warming (NY Times).
Blame Canada for Climate Change
Eric de Place, Sightline
Apropos of Anna’s fascinating post yesterday, I decided to do a little digging to find out if Canada’s superior record of concern for the environment is translating into a better record for the planet.
So far, it’s not. At least not when it comes to climate change, which I’d argue is the biggest environmental (and economic and social justice) challenge facing the world.
On the one hand, the US failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, while Canada agreed to a 6 percent emissions cut under the treaty. Today, however, Canada is a whopping 33 percent above the target. (Though it’s also miles off, the US actually appears be closer to its non-agreed-to Kyoto targets than Canada. Ouch.)
And while it’s true that the United States is by far the worlds largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions, that’s partly because there are roughly 10 times as many Americans as Canadians. When it comes to our individual contributions to warming the planet, however, we’re really not so different after all.
Per capita, Canadians emit about 10 percent less emissions from energy consumption as Americans. But if you were to factor in the substantial greenhouse gas emissions from logging and cattle-raising (both big business in Canada for which I don’t have data) Canadians would probably be nearly neck and neck with American emissions, on a per person basis.
It gets worse.
(6 Feb 2007)
Related: Opinions Without Borders. Not Quite (Anna Fahe, Sightline):
In recent polling by Gallup and Pew, Americans display little concern about the environment and global warming — far less, as it turns out, than their Canadian counterparts.
Brazil’s Lula blasts rich nations on climate
Reuters
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva blamed wealthy countries for global warming on Tuesday and said they should stop telling Brazil what to do with the Amazon rainforest.
“The wealthy countries are very smart, approving protocols, holding big speeches on the need to avoid deforestation but they already deforested everything,” Lula said during the announcement of a public works project in Rio de Janeiro.
(6 Feb 2007)
