US planning to weaken Copenhagen climate deal, Europe warns

[cedric]

Europe has clashed with the US Obama administration over climate change in a potentially damaging split that comes ahead of crucial political negotiations on a new global deal to regulate greenhouse gas emissions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/15/europe-us-copenhagen

[villager]

1. How changey and hopeful!

n/t

[The2ndWheel]

2. Regional governments in a global world

Can't make dinner with too many cooks in the kitchen.

[Xithras]

3. Some of the Copenhagen goals are garbage

For example: China is today the largest carbon emitter on the planet, and has steadfastly refused to agree to any treaty that limits their ability to pollute. Instead, they are proposing that carbon emissions be shifted. If a Chinese manufacturer releases 3000 tons of CO2 in a year creating Barbie dolls that are shipped to Europe and the US, they want the CO2 releases to be counted against the destination countries, and not the manufacturing countries. They want everyone to outsource manufacturing to China, but themselves want to outsource the responsiblity for the pollution onto others. Even worse, the proposal is that ONLY "undeveloped" nations like China and India would qualify for these waivers..."developed" economies like the USA would still be responsible for all of their pollution, no matter what it was generated for.

The blame dodging is sickening, and I can't blame the administration for opposing some of it.

[tama]

6. So in you opinion

consumers are not responsible, only manufacturers? Consumers are just hypnotized puppets with no real freedom of will nor responsibility?

Which, in your world view, is more justified account of emissions, per capita or per country?

[joshcryer]

9. There was a thread posted here a few weeks back that said China was against this.

China does not want their low cost trinkets to cost way more for the consumers they sell to. Even if the emissions costs are being levied by the importing country, it would still hamper the use of Chinese goods.

[joshcryer]

8. Wait a second, where do you see China advocating carbon offsetting to export countries?

They're against that from what I can tell. Indeed, that would be *how* you implement emissions policies on countries like China. Make those 50 cent trinkets from China cost $2. China does *not* under any circumstances *want that*.

[excess_3]

4. dump the US

Europe needs the US like a
fish needs a bicycle

[wuvuj]

5. Canada fails....

http://priceofoil.org/2009/09/15/canada-the-climate-change-bully/#more-3792


Timed with perfection to undermine the meeting between Canada’s Premier Stephen Harper and Barack Obama, Greenpeace has issued a new report labeling Canada as a “climate change bully” that is doing everything in its power to undermine a new agreement at Copenhagen.

Tomorrow will be the second meeting between the two leaders, who are expected to discuss the contradicting issues of expanded extraction from the tar sands as well as commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions at the upcoming crucial Copenhagen Summit.

This contradiction is played out in the figures: Canada’s greenhouse emissions have increased by more than 26 per cent since 1990. But Canada’s goal is to reduce emissions by 20 per cent from 2006 levels by 2020, a target that in itself far short of what Canada must do to combat climate change. But the emissions from tar sands will mean that this target will not be met.

So Obama cannot have it both ways – he cannot talk green yet crank up America’s imports of this dirty, dangerous oil whose development “could tip the scales toward dangerous and uncontrollable climate change.”

[Nihil]

7. No change there then.

> Europe has clashed with the US <fill in the blank> administration over
> climate change in a potentially damaging split that comes ahead of crucial
> political negotiations on a new global deal to regulate greenhouse gas
> emissions.

:eyes:

[joshcryer]

10. Is Europe going to get off of their Brazilain beef habit?

Until then I suggest that they drop the double standard. (Not defending the US, just mocking EUs hypocrisy).

[tama]

11. Hypocrisy

is what Europe is all about. We bring you Jeebus, behold (you pagan scum, while we steal your land freedom)... we bring you modernism and development, our racial superiority (die, brown races, so we can take all your land)... we bring you the gospel of universal civilization (you primitive lazy laffers, so we can kill your soul and destroy your land).

It's so hard to be European, white mans burden, manifest destiny and all this shit that the uncivilized scum doesn't even show gratitude. How brutish of them!