UN Summit Strikes Climate Deal Promising "Damage Aid" To Poor Nations 212
Hugh Pickens writes writes "BBC reports that UN climate talks in Doha have closed, with a historic shift in principle agreed to by nearly 200 nations, extending the Kyoto Protocol through 2020 and establishing for the first time that rich nations should move towards compensating poor nations for losses due to climate change. Until now rich nations have agreed to help developing countries to get clean energy and adapt to climate change, but they have stopped short of accepting responsibility for damage caused by climate change elsewhere. 'It is a breakthrough,' says Martin Khor of the South Center — an association of 52 developing nations. 'The term Loss and Damage is in the text — this is a huge step in principle. Next comes the fight for cash.' U.S. negotiators made certain that neither the word 'compensation,' nor any other term connoting legal liability, was used, to avoid opening the floodgates to litigation – instead, the money will be judged as aid. Ronny Jumea, from the Seychelles, told rich nations earlier that discussion of compensation would not have been needed if they had cut emissions earlier. 'We're past the mitigation [emissions cuts] and adaptation eras. We're now right into the era of loss and damage. What's next after that? Destruction?' While the United States has not adopted a comprehensive approach to climate change, the Obama administration has put in place a significant auto emissions reduction program and a plan to regulate carbon dioxide from new power plants. 'What this meeting reinforced is that while this is an important forum, it is not the only one in which progress can and must be made,' says Jennifer Haverkamp, director of the international climate programs at the Environmental Defense Fund. The disconnect between the level of ambition the parties are showing here and what needs to happen to avoid dangerous climate change is profound.'"
US bribes help stop climate action (Score:5, Interesting)
Better Yet (Score:1, Interesting)
Best off, just like I recall my grandfather to say... ,even if it is a round about way. Charity starts at home.
"Get the U.S. out of the U.N. and the U.N. out of the U.S."
Because we know the only real agenda of the Mickey Mouse Club is for U.S. hating countries to manipulate and bleed the U.S.(although it's been handy to screw with Israel too)
Gosh, if so many countries get together and decide what other countries should do, well that just makes it official,yup,yup,yup.
That beautiful building could be used to house homeless, then it wouldn't be a total waste of time.
Let the poor and foolish countries be cared for by the rich and socialist countries China,Russia, S.A., Dubai, etc. That is their gig after all.
Pretty sure they are big offenders anyway
Israel is already dead (Score:4, Interesting)
Israel will die within 100 years. An average increase of 4 degrees C translates into a much greater increase over land because the earth is 70% covered by water and the temperature won't change as much over water. In the Mediterranean, that average 4C increase should translate into a 9C overland increase. Israel routinely hangs out above 36C during the summer. Israel routinely has 98% humidity in the summer. Humans cannot survive 100% humidity at 45C. I'd therefore expect that Israel will be effectively uninhabitable by humans in 2100, although obviously their humidity might change before then.
Re:Ah, so there we go.... (Score:5, Interesting)
It's always, nakedly, been about wealth redistribution.
Why do you think India and China - the fastest growing (and now largest) emitters of CO2 - were omitted from the original Kyoto accord?
Oh, there's a pastiche of 'let's save the planet' but then the road to hell has always been paved with what, again?
There's a reason they so bitterly hate the term ecomarxists....it strikes waaay too close.
Go ahead mod me down as 'flamebait' and 'troll'. As the 'climate changers' keep telling everyone, truth isn't based on popular opinion.