WikiLeaks Cables Reveal How US Manipulated Climate Accord

[sasha031]

Source: Mother Jones

This story first appeared on the Guardian website.

Hidden behind the save-the-world rhetoric of the global climate change negotiations lies the mucky realpolitik: money and threats buy political support; spying and cyberwarfare are used to seek out leverage.The US diplomatic cables reveal how the US seeks dirt on nations opposed to its approach to tackling global warming; how financial and other aid is used by countries to gain political backing; how distrust, broken promises and creative accounting dog negotiations; and how the US mounted a secret global diplomatic offensive to overwhelm opposition to the controversial "Copenhagen accord", the unofficial document that emerged from the ruins of the Copenhagen climate change summit in 2009.
Negotiating a climate treaty is a high-stakes game, not just because of the danger warming poses to civilisation but also because re-engineering the global economy to a low-carbon model will see the flow of billions of dollars redirected.Seeking negotiating chips, the US state department sent a secret cable on 31 July 2009 seeking human intelligence from UN diplomats across a range of issues, including climate change. The request originated with the CIA. As well as countries' negotiating positions for Copenhagen, diplomats were asked to provide evidence of UN environmental "treaty circumvention" and deals between nations.

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[sasha031]

1. sorry, link below

http://motherjones.com/blog

[spin]

2. I wish WikiLeaks would publish some BP info ...

on how they managed to cover up the effects of the oil spill and how they managed to get our government to help them hide up their lies and deceit.

[mike_c]

5. I'm sure they will just as soon as someone from BP delivers the goods....

eom

[NightWatcher]

3. damn I wish I had money to send to Julian

http://213.251.145.96/support.html - if you can

[xchrom]

4. Recommend

[Bragi]

6. Another HUGE revelation from WikiLeeaks

We knew this was happening, but now its been documented by the US foreign service itself. Very helpful long term.

[bhikkhu]

7. "This shit has got to stop"

...is what I think when I read how things are done - or how things are screwed up - as described in the OP. Having a corrupt-to-the-core diplomatic corps is only possible when its doings are secret, when it can put on one caring public face, and privately slide the knife between the ribs just-so. I'd like a government that does what it says it will do, and is, like a good person, the same in public as it is when no one is looking.

Just knowing is important - thanks, Wikileaks.

[Imajika]

9. Your dreaming of a government that will never ever be...

"when it can put on one caring public face, and privately slide the knife between the ribs just-so. I'd like a government that does what it says it will do, and is, like a good person, the same in public as it is when no one is looking."

Sorry, but that just isn't life. This isn't life in school, in the workplace, even amongst families - there is no reason to think there would ever be a government that does what you wish for.

Even the most progressive government that you can imagine will have secrets, diplomatic intrigue, will try to gain leverage over others to get stuff done, etc, etc.

What matters isn't the intelligence, the confidential information, the secrets - what matters is what is being done with it. To what end is being used.

[bhikkhu]

10. Still, a goal doesn't have to be reachable to be worth working toward.

That perfection is not possible doesn't render every other state equivalent...(and another dozen handy sayings - but you know what I mean)

[TheWatcher]

14. So we should just lie back and get Raped by the Status Quo and enjoy it?

Yes, we should all just go back to sleep and watch TV.

"Just take the crumbs from the table and do as you're told, and maybe they will let you live. Don't Question, Follow. Don't Rock The Boat, Just Ride In it and hope for the best. You're Powerless, you can do nothing. Tow The Party Line. Embrace the Mindless Kabuki Theater. Perception Is Reality. It's For your Own Good. The Criminals are the one's in Power, and they should be able to do anything they want with impunity. To expose them is the highest crime. Only those with The Power should have secrets and Privacy."

"OBEY. SHOP. SUBMIT."

[HCE SuiGeneris]

8. Two-faced hypocrite.

It's not pretty what we project as a nation.

[ProSense]

11. Climate change legislation was dead anyway. n/t

[tavalon]

12. Much as we will be soon enough

And I think the earth will be better off without us.

[sudopod]

16. That's sooooooo pragmatic. nt

[MNBrewer]

17. There's always an excuse

for anything the government does, and always someone one DU to post it.

[Nihil]

18. To be fair ...

> There's always an excuse for anything the government does,
> and always someone one DU to post it.

... it's usually one member of a fairly small (but extremely busy) subset ...

[City Lights]

19. Nice attitude!

:eyes:

[sarcasmo]

13. Kick, high-stakes-game couldn't have said it better myself.

[defendandprotect]

15. Global Warming is a "national security" issue, of course .....

and the name change came about when it was suggested by GOP rw propagandist

Frank Luntz to W in 2002 --

Global Warming is historical in the records -- probably going back not only to the

1950's when the public began to become aware -- but 100 years of more when scientists

began to become aware. Global Warming makes clear that what we are talking about is

HEAT -- heating up the environment which creates chaotic weather.