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The Forum > Article Comments > The simple-minded politics of international action on climate > Comments

The simple-minded politics of international action on climate : Comments

By Nicholas Gruen, published 23/12/2005

Nicholas Gruen argues in spite of Kyoto developing countries' economies and emissions keep growing.

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I think it will take a prolonged global crisis before there are real cuts to emissions. Even then there are people who keep smoking after they have been diagnosed with cancer rather than face harsh medicine. While the EU cap and trade system may work somewhat inadequately other greenhouse policies strike me as plain daft. For example selling generous unused entitlements under CDM, or relying on CO2 burial which seems at best to have a trifling impact under heavily subsidised experiments. There is no way the Howard government will hinder coal mining and export or double the renewables target. It seems all we can do is batten down the hatches.
Posted by Taswegian, Friday, 23 December 2005 12:31:07 PM
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I have not studied Kyoto, so perhaps someone can fill me in.
I get the impression that we are responsable for the emissions from coal we mine, even when it is burned in another country. Is this so?
Posted by Hasbeen, Saturday, 24 December 2005 1:38:05 AM
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It's a bit like asking "Are we responsible for wartime deaths if we sell arms"

The answer is in effect (and morally if I can use that contested word) - Yes. "Coal from Australia contributes to other countries greenhouse gas emissions; in 2003 Australia's coal exports (208 million tonnes) were responsible for approximately 733 million tonnes of CO2 emissions." http://www.lee.greens.org.au/campaigns/coal

However.....These figures are not counted as part of Australia's emissions under either Kyoto or UNFCCC.
Posted by Frogmouth, Saturday, 24 December 2005 7:58:25 PM
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Frogmouth,Yes you are right about the coal but the stupidity of the IPCC system is that if we let some foreign owned forestry company chop down a lot of trees for wood chip etc, that is immediately shipped to the owners country, we cop the carbon debit, not the end user. It was deemed by the intellectual pigmies and spivs that run this show, both here in Australia and in Europe, that it was just too hard to account for the timber any other way, even when it is dead easy to measure the tonnages of wood chip going to Japan, for instance.
Further, even if it was accepted that Nuclear was the best way to go, there is a specific provision preventing the bringing to account the tonnages saved from nuclear.
Who says it doesnt have a political dimension.
Posted by bigmal, Sunday, 25 December 2005 8:33:48 AM
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There will be no change in how we approach the planet, its not economic in the view of the ruling elite. The only thing that will change how we deal with this planet, is a severe and sudden reduction in human population.

You can gauge how important the environment and the health of our planet is by the number of posts for articles of this nature. When it comes to religious ego, they pour in, but the future of our planet and life, never rates more than a few posts.

Everyone wants their intelectual rights and will fight tooth and nail for them, but they have no interest in the right of this planet to survive. Just shows you how far engrossed in fantasy land the human race is.

Before any positive actions can be implemented, we first have to learn to care for all the other living beings on the planet that contibute to the natural balance. Instead of using them for our selfcentred greed.

However the reality is that we will continue along the present path until we succumb to the changing climate. Then nature will slowly rebuild and hopefully some may survive, so that we can rebuild society in a way that blends with nature and not obstructs and destroys it.

We have the technology to overcome the problems without losing our living standards, but again that is not in the interest of the elite who wish to retain economic, political and social control over society. Sadly the ruling elite are all brain dead and the population to entrenched in fear to change.
Posted by The alchemist, Sunday, 25 December 2005 8:34:57 AM
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Government is too influenced by lobbyists from the mining, coal and nuclear industries to do anything useful in terms of mitigating climate change but every person has the option of reducing their own excessive use of resources. Eg changing from incandescent to long life light globes, using power less wastefully, driving more slowly (using less fuel and producing fewer emmissions) purchasing fewer unwanted unaffordable consumer goods etc.

Basically its up to each of us to personally make the changes that will affect the the final outcome. I am planning to install a solar HWS this year, what are you going to do?
Posted by Nimue, Wednesday, 28 December 2005 6:11:26 PM
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