Maybe we should just skip this project

The preparatory climate talks of BASIC, the coalition of Brazil, South Africa, India and China, just ended in Rio. The UNFCCC has the courtesy to link to some of the reports of the apparent fiasco. Reuters here and Xinhua.

As was apparent at the latest Bonn meeting, developing countries are getting more and more anxious to get those hand outs, promised in the non binding babble in Copenhagen. Further, the BASIC countries are far from anxious to commence any drastic emission cutting programs before other countries do.

Of course, you could – and should – argue that the four countries are not really representative of the third world. Developing, yes, but economically powerful and not possible to compare to the real developing world in desperate need of energy, development and industrialisation.

Non the less, it’s another sign that Cancun also will be a stalemate. But at least, all the delegates will collect more frequent flyer’s points. Just to make sure, BASIC will hold another meeting later this fall, in China. Another Bonn meeting will start in just a few days, so all the professional negotiators will keep busy for the rest of the year.

Looking at facts, and the development in the debate over the past eight months, you would think that everyone will sit down in Cancun and decide that maybe all this was not such a brilliant idea. And move on to something else. Given the mechanisms of politics however, they will be united by the only common interest, to continue looking busy. Likely however, is that some of the big wigs among Presidents and PM’s used up their arsenals of pompous statements last year, and might consider some caution this time.

…or maybe don’t.

As fun as you can have, in the company of all sorts of people, there  is something depressing over these climate conferences. Delegates looking serious while spending other people’s money on down-right dangerous schemes, young people, who ought to be either in school, or out partying, or protesting the real injustices in this world, standing outside telling the lunch-eaters to spend more. Often financed by government. The police working overtime, and those fringe groups who travel around the world just in order to pick a fight with the former. A sort of holiday, I presume, like inter-railing or camping. Most of these elements, both in Copenhagen and at the recent G8/G20 summit, would probably go to the international congress of scrapbookers, if it meant they could get into trouble – and media – along the way.

In Cancun, the drug war is dragging on, with recent victims in the shootings. The hurricane season has just started, and will probably end right in time for the summit. If the so called world leaders decide, which is most likely, to both turn up and to help spread climate hysteria during the months to come, this will – just as in Copenhagen – make life really difficult for the local population.

But maybe that is just as well. Far from wishing anyone any harm, I am somehow looking forward to the next debacle. On a side note, one of the key players, the European Union, got their new presidency today. It’s Belgium, and Belgium currently has no government, since the recent elections.

I keep telling myself, it’ll be fun. At least to see the naked emperor walking down the streets of Cancun.

CFACT display, Bonn climate conference

The game is not over yet, but the climate talks in Bonn are. For the time being. Another session is already scheduled for August, and it might very well be that the free-lunchers will squeeze yet another in, during the buildup of expectations before Cancun. After the enormous debacle before, during and after Copenhagen, it seems unlikely that the general public hysteria could be regenerated. You can’t fool all the people all the time, but remember that you can still fool some.

The general observations among the CFACT team were mainly twofold. There was, in a way, a greater respect and understanding towards our climate realist work. Even some serious interest, especially from the delegates among whom, it would be impossible that not at least some have started to seriously doubt that all this was such a brilliant idea from the start.

On the other hand, hostility seems to have grown among the more militant alarmist NGO’s. CFACT even had the table cleared by a militant lady one night, a most mysterious lady, who then even showed up the next day and said that we had no right to be there, as we were ”deniers”, and that she had destroyed the stuff. For some reason however, possibly the fact that one person on our team immediately called for security, she refused the polite discussion she was offered, and took off. When yours truly walked after her, she approached a police and accused me of stalking her. Pursuing the offender, might have been a better word,and that’s what the apparently partly amused officer thought too.

Apart from having all that fun, there is however bunch of gibberish to read, in the usual UN way. It is quite clear that the leaders have become more competent since Copenhagen, and absolutely set on working out a binding treaty this year. Details are hard to find, but developing countries are seriously starting to ask when they will get the money they were promised. The world government ambitions are not gone, just polished a bit.

As fun as you can have here, it can get rather scary at times, when you consider the implications of the politicians going berserk once again and with more skill than last time.

Until then, enjoy the World Cup Soccer games, kicking off tonight. It’s a fair game. And Fun!

I feel old sometimes. I’m not, according to my doctor, but I’m at least not “Youth”, as defined by the United Nations to be between the age of 15 and 24 (for the first three years in there, you also have the privilege of being “child” at the same time).

Couldn’t care less.

The UNFCCC however, cares a lot, and that’s where I start to care.

The report on youth participation in the climate battle, distributed here at the climate conference in Bonn, is impressive, with government funded youth summits and UN financed education camps. To join in, Alofa Tuvalis together with ADEME, has produced a partly entertaining comic book, where non-environmental decisions in daily life is punished by itching powder thrown by the mysterious bug Sib.

If the island of Tuvalis is really sinking, and if, in that case, it has anything to do with what I have for breafast, is not really explained, but as a pedagogic endeavour, it’s interesting from mainly two aspects.

Good manners is an important virtue, and one that all “youth” should pick up, else they might run into problems later in life. These include most of the things taught in the booklet, don’t throw garbage in nature, try not to work up your parents’ electricity bill too much.

But what ever became of good old youth rebellion against authorities and oppression? Do dress in a UN sponsored T-shirt and harass people, telling them that politicians should “do something”, in other words taxing and regulating people, does not come across as very courageous, or youthful for that matter.

But maybe I’m just too old for this.

CFACT EU Associate Editor Einar Du Rietz at the CFACT display in Bonn. One of our Moai fell casualty to a group of global warmist youth.

Discord, blame and profiteering at UN Bonn climate conference as UN scrambles to get climate treaty back on track; calls for developed nations to repay ‘climate debt’ and an ‘international court of climate and environmental justice’ to prosecute developed world.  Full Update at CFACT.org.

Press briefing tomorrow June 10, 10:30, room Haydn at Hotel Maritim Bonn.  Read our press release at CFACT.tv.

Rather to my surprise, I bumped into Mother Earth at the Heartland Climate Conference in Chicago (May 17th).  There she was, large as life, in her green gown with a wreath of ivy in her hair (when I first saw the green gown I feared she might be a Warmist saboteur who had slipped past Security, but my worries were unfounded).  And she was selling (or strictly speaking, giving out) Carbon Indulgences (that’s the white rectangle in the photograph).  Fascinated, I read the text:

“This indulgence serves as a remittance of all carbon sins.  You are forgiven for *** Flying in airplanes *** Driving in cars *** Using electrical kit *** Taking hot showers *** Exhaling CO2 *** making things in factories *** Growing food with tractors *** Eating meat *** Running aircon *** Attending international Conferences”.

So I feel much better about that.  Back in the day job, Mother Earth is Christina Wilson, the Upper Midwest Director of “Collegians for a Constructive Tomorrow”, part of an organisation called CFACT.The photograph is in front of their exhibition stand and you can see most of their logo.  They are a conservative organisation dedicated to a rational approach to science and the environment.  You can see the Mother Earth story at http://www.cfact.org/a/1719/Carbon-sins-forgiven-in-Bonn, under the headline “Expose Global Warming Hype – ALL PAIN, NO GAIN” (don’t you just wish that they could stop sitting on the fence and take a clear position?).

I get a great buzz from going to the States.  I love the plethora of conservative organisations and dedicated people taking the message forward.  Of course we have some great conservative organisations here in the UK – The TaxPayers Alliance, The Bruges Group, The Freedom Association – but we have some way to go to match the scale and profile of our friends and colleagues across the pond.

On the left of the picture you can see a corner of the Pajamas Media stand (www.pajamasmedia.com).  They’re great guys too, but that’s a whole ‘nother story.

You can download Mother Earth’s carbon indulgences and CFACT’s International Carbon Credits here, print them out and share them with those in need of carbon forgiveness.

John Vidal

Reveals radical global warming treaty push, efforts to “bypass” and spin media

Guardian environment editor John Vidal obtained a confidential U.S. climate strategy document from a “hotel computer” at the Bonn climate talks.  Vidal did not reveal to CFACT’s “Mission Bonn” team what was afoot, but came to the CFACT display obviously quite excited and pumped our American members for information on the format used in the U.S. to display dates.  It appears he was seeking background for his evaluation of this strategy document.

CFACT readers will remember Mr. Vidal as the fellow who interrupted our Climate Sense conference in Copenhagen and launched into a long point about sea level rise which was immediately rebutted  by leading expert Nils Axel-Morner.  Here’s the exchange on video.

The document reveals a U.S. administration determined to push a radical global warming agenda that intends a binding global warming treaty, doubts its political ability to ratify a treaty in the U.S., intends to lock the U.S. into its climate policy with or without a treaty and as always cares most about perception.  Placating radical NGOs is high on the list.

Here is the text of the leaked U.S. strategy according to Mr. Vidal.  You can evaluate it for yourself:

Strategic communications objectives

1) Reinforce the perception that the US is constructively engaged in UN negotiations in an effort to produce a global regime to combat climate change. This includes support for a symmetrical and legally binding treaty.

2) Manage expectations for Cancun – Without owning the message, advance the narrative that while a symmetrical legally binding treaty in Mexico is unlikely, solid progress can be made on the six or so main elements.

3) Create a clear understanding of the CA’s standing and the importance of operationalising ALL elements.

4) Build and maintain outside support for the administration’s commitment to meeting the climate and clean energy challenge despite an increasingly difficult political environment to pass legislation.

5) Deepen support and understanding from the developing world that advanced developing countries must be part of any meaningful solution to climate change including taking responsibilities under a legally binding treaty.

Media outreach

• Continue to conduct interviews with print, TV and radio outlets driving the climate change story.

• Increase use of off-the-record conversations.

• Strengthen presence in international media markets during trips abroad. Focus efforts on radio and television markets.

• Take greater advantage of new media opportunities such as podcasts to advance US position in the field bypassing traditional media outlets.

• Consider a series of policy speeches/public forums during trips abroad to make our case directly to the developing world.

Key outreach efforts

• Comprehensive and early outreach to policy makers, key stakeholders and validators is critical to broadening support for our positions in the coming year.

• Prior to the 9-11 April meeting in Bonn it would be good for Todd to meet with leading NGOs. This should come in the form of 1:1s and small group sessions.

• Larger group sessions, similar to the one held at CAP prior to Copenhagen, will be useful down the line, but more intimate meetings in the spring are essential to building the foundation of support. Or at the very least, disarming some of the harsher critics.

It certainly is more solemn here, than in Copenhagen, as most people as this conference persist in pointing out. I’m not complaining, and neither is the local community which this time seems to be spared from closed off traffic and broken glass.

The latter is instead provided by some of the few outdoor activists that are here. As a manifestation telling the politicians that “it’s time to pick up the pieces”. The symbolic broken glass (hope no one got hurt) is supposed to represent the results from Copenhagen.

Did anyone say desperate? Or trying to save face?

Did anyone consider that there might be reasons why the glass got broken in the first place?

Or might it even be admitting defeat?

Copenhagen has been labeled a fiasco by most sides. The politicians, who put their reputation at stake, the NGO’s who were closed out because of overbooking, the activists who were harassed and the police who could not keep things under control. Most blame China, and the Chinese suggest it’s probably the US’s fault. If anyone has ever tried to save face desperately, it’s certainly the IPCC itself.

Patching together that mirror will not make the picture less blurred.

They are at it again, as Lord Monckton puts it. Well, so is CFACT. Strategically positioned in the middle of the action at the new UNFCCC climate talks in Bonn.

It certainly is more quiet than in Copenhagen. Officially, it’s a preparatory, informal meeting, before Mexico. Unofficially, it’s a matter of gathering strength after the Copenhagen fiasco. Both these versions are correct. No heads of state or government. Yet. No violent hooligans either. Yet. Only the usual side groups, telling us to become vegetarians and tax all sorts of behaviorr.

CFACT Europe, together with CFACT International, has a strong delegation with, among others, Lord Monckton and famous German author Dr. Edgar Gärtner. To help raise the spirits all around, CFACT is distributing all sorts of positive information, including free carbon credits to absolve the delegates from any guilt they might feel from using an airplane or a car to get here.

Stay tuned!