Cross-posted from Mike Malloy
The upcoming United Nations forum on climate change in New York on the 23rd promises some headliner attendees, but how much of the event is just for show? A pretense to demonstrate to their countrymen that they, too, care about the environment.
This is from InterPress Service:
"The much-ballyhooed one-day Climate Summit next week is being hyped as one of the major political-environmental events at the United Nations this year. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged over 120 of the world's political and business leaders, who are expected to participate in the talk-fest, to announce significant and substantial initiatives, including funding commitments, 'to help move the world towards a path that will limit global warming.'
"But what really can one expect from a one-day event lasting probably over 12 hours of talk time, come Sep. 23? 'A one-day event was never going to solve everything about climate change, but it could have been a turning point by demonstrating renewed political will to act,' Timothy Gore, head of policy, advocacy and research for the GROW Campaign at Oxfam International, told IPS.
"The Green Climate Fund (GCF), which was launched in 2011, is expected to mobilise about 100 billion dollars per year from developed nations by 2020, according to the United Nations. But it is yet to receive any funds that can be disbursed to developing countries to undertake their climate actions.
"Dipti Bhatnagar, climate justice and energy co-coordinator for Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) and Justica Ambiental (FoE Mozambique), told IPS, 'On Sep. 23 we will see world leaders falling far short of delivering what we need to tackle dangerous climate change.'
"The Climate Summit is completely inadequate and expected 'pledges' by governments and business at the Summit will be tremendously insufficient in the face of the climate catastrophe, she warned.
"'The whole idea of leaders making voluntary, non-binding pledges itself is an insult to the hundreds of thousands of people dying every year because of the impacts of climate change,' Bhatnagar said. 'We need equitable, ambitious and binding emissions reduction targets from industrialised countries -- not a parade of leaders trying to make themselves look good.
"'But this fake parade is the only thing we will see at this one-day summit,' she added.
"On Sep. 21, two days ahead of the summit, hundreds of thousands of people will march against climate change in New York and in cities across the globe. Martin Kaiser, leader of the Global Climate Policy project at Greenpeace, told IPS, 'We welcome Ban Ki-moon hosting a global climate summit this month and will be on the streets of New York on Sep. 21 as the largest climate march in history sends a loud and clear message that world leaders must act now.'"
Mike will be at that Sunday march in NYC, Truthseekers, for what it's worth. There is not much hope that our current crop of cronies in Congress will ever take the issue as seriously as they do, say, making sure it's legal to carry assault weapons into your local Chuck E Cheese. And in some locales, it seems the trend toward meaningful ecological legislation is actually going in reverse.
Take Texas (please!) where proposed changes to science text books would officially cast a doubt on the factual data behind climate change realities.
The National Journal reports:
"Texas Board of Education member David Bradley wants to set the record straight on global warming.
"'Whether global warming is a myth or whether it's actually happening, that's very much up for debate,' Bradley said. 'Don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise.' Bradley is not a climate scientist, but he's about to make big decisions governing what Texas students learn about climate change.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
