The Obama administration just concluded climate negotiations with China. No breakthroughs were achieved, but at least both nations now understand their respective roles:
China is the drug dealer, America is the junkie. They have the really good stuff we want: money. Just like any good drug dealer, they got us hooked with cheap prices, but now that we’re addicted the price they demand is going up.
Here’s how the Financial Times reports the results of the Obama administration’s recent climate negotiations with China:
Todd Stern, President Barack Obama’s special envoy on climate change, tried to sound optimistic when the US delegation ended its China visit but could hardly conceal that little had been achieved…
Chinese officials maintained that the two countries should have a “common but differentiated approach” – code for Beijing’s reluctance to adopt a formal domestic mandate to reduce its carbon emissions. The US Congress is considering a bill that would reduce US emissions to 83 per cent of 2005 levels by 2020. China wants the US to cut its emissions to 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 – a different order of magnitude. It also wants the US to pledge up to 1 per cent of its gross domestic product to pay for clean technology in China and elsewhere.
Read that again. The Chinese want us to cripple American industry with carbon emission regulations from which they’ll be exempt. Then they want us to pay them 1% of our GDP to give the latest technology to their industries.
Sadly enough, we’ll probably do it because we’re addicted to their money. And like any good junkie, we’ll steal to feed our habit. Unfortunately, we’re stealing from our children and grandchildren.
Source: Financial Times via Tim Blair
