Hypocrites.
Something they don't like to think about is the subject of this story:
Dec. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Government officials and activists flying to Bali, Indonesia, for the United Nations meeting on climate change will cause as much pollution as 20,000 cars in a year.
The delegates each will produce an average 4.07 metric tons of carbon dioxide, or CO2, to reach the resort island 950 kilometers (600 miles) from Jakarta, according to estimates e- mailed to Bloomberg by the UN agency holding the conference.
Some of the 187 nations participating in the two-week forum promised to offset their so-called carbon footprint by planting trees or buying emission credits. The symbolic actions won't help stop global warming, some scientists say.
``It's very hard for the public to understand that you come together with so many people to a very distant place and cause a lot of emissions, and at the same time talk about emission reductions,'' Artur Runge-Metzger, head of climate strategy for the European Commission, said yesterday in an interview in Bali, adding that he had offset his own emissions.
But of course many of them are buying "carbon offsets" so their voyage to the island paradise -- where they will be meeting in air-conditioned hotel rooms -- so the whole thing will be "carbon neutral."
Al Gore will approve. How do you think he made $100 million in the past few years? Selling "carbon offsets," that's how.
I realize a giant videoconference would have been much less fun, but it would have generated far less pollution. And that's what all these Greenies are after, isn't it?
No. Their goal is to make our lives harder, by passing higher prices and taxes, shortages and a big fat load of guilt on to us. The real polluters, such as China and India, will go happily along filling the atmosphere with poisons and fouling rivers and oceans. At least their people will still be working.
The sad fact is that none of these save-the-world do-gooders have the slightest idea what they're doing. They've promoted "modern" light bulbs that turn out to contain mercury, a non-degradable toxin. They gush over hybrid cars that consume more scarce materials during manufacturing -- and, when used up, pose a greater threat to the environment -- than the average gas-guzzling SUV. They push biofuels, which are made from edible grains. You wanna eat or drive?
But they're so damn sincere. The earth, according to St Al Gore, "is running a fever." He'll fly anywhere to spread the gospel. And rake in more millions by selling
Gore and the rest of these fools remind me of the old idealistic "fighters" for communism: they see themselves as the commissars running the show from their comfy offices...let others work in the factories, drive tractors, and do the hard work.
Don't misunderstand: conservation is a good thing. Nothing wrong with reducing emissions, wasting fewer raw materials, cutting all kinds of consumption.
And there is nothing wrong with searching for -- and improving -- alternative energy sources and buying products made from recycled materials.
All of us should be doing those things.
But it is time for the self-righteous zealots who are always whingeing about the dire state of the planet to lead by example: use candles, walk (or ride horses), fill the back yard with solar panels and windmills* and never, ever buy a Chinese or Indian product again.
And, for God's sake, stay off those damn airplanes, and refuse to ride in those GM Suburbans.
If you really believe in the upcoming disaster, you must know pollution payoffs won't do any good. And your consumption is far, far worse than mine. Show me how it's done.
Do that for a year or two, Al, and I might have some respect for you.
* Can't use windmills...they kill birdies!
7 comments:
Your words make WAY too much sense to be taken seriously by the earth shoe crowd, Scribbs. To them "logic" is an inconvenient truth. There's no warm fuzzy there. Besides, the United Nations (event sponsor) is our friend, only looking out for our well being, right? Right??
l&s -- If I was king, I'd ring Bali with naval warships and tell all these goons to stay!
Let them build their environmental paradise the hard way, and while affecting as few humans as possible.
i agree that the huge events to promote a green lifestyle make very little sense to me, for the reasons you state.
on the other hand, these people, however frustratingly misguided, are at least trying to make a change instead of sticking their heads in a barrel of oil and denying there's a problem. so they're leaps and bounds beyond the, ahem, other leadership in my opinion.
raej -- I question their motives. If they really wanted to improve matters, they would choose ways that didn't involve the creation of new millionaires selling "carbon offsets,"{ and would focus on the many realistic things people can do to make the environment better.
Instead, they are building little empires for themselves.
Yeah - what ever happened to the good old video conference? All this technology was supposed to cut down on business travel, but I don't really see that happening!
At least they're trying to do something about it though - and Australia has just signed the Kyoto Protocal... finally! God bless our new labour government!
Oddly, they ignore actual scientific solutions which have been worked up to remove CO2 from the air, and have stretched the truth of what will make a difference.
If they believed themselves they would be concerned with restructuring and working with ideas that would adapt to an environment they cannot change radically by shutting down human activity altogether.
There involvement is what has ensured we still rely on oil, and oil is not even the main culprit in the alleged problem to begin with.
It is about control and money, not fixing anything. Too bad. The real shame is that people actually think the exxons of the world aren't on the cutting edge of the political green agenda.
if the plane is flying there anyway, then it doesn't matter if I'm on board or not! and from experience, talking with someone in person, one-on-one, is MUCH better then a video conference.
I think at least making people aware of the problems is important. But people will continue to think of their own creature comforts and ignore all warnings... as usual...
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