This week, the global warming circus raised its tent at the G8 meetings in L’Aquila, Italy. According to the media, the world’s wisest leaders have saved the world by signing a new global warming pact.
Luckily, ABC News’ Jake Tapper cut through the crap and revealed a side of the story that’s absent from most reports and buried in others:
“The climate change provision sets a non-binding goal for a 50% reduction in greenhouse gases by 2050, using 1990 levels or later years as a base, with a goal for developed countries of 80%. The document pledges cooperation to limit the rise in global temperatures to no more than 2 degrees Celsius or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit.”
“But achieving this is far more difficult than writing it on a piece of paper as a pledge, particularly with developing nations balking at the goal and complaining that the industrialized world hasn’t followed through with aid and technology to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
Got that? It’s non-binding. So non-binding, in fact, that Russia, which actually signed the treaty, has already said it has no intention of abiding by it.
Arkady Dvorkovich, the top economic advisor to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, “For us the 80 per cent figure is unacceptable and likely unattainable. We won’t sacrifice economic growth for the sake of emission reduction.”
He might as well have been speaking for India and China who aren’t G8 members and who have already said, “Thanks, but no thanks. We’re with Russia on this one.”
So on one hand, the solution to global warming was all smoke and mirrors. On the other hand, the leaders of the G8 did manage to have some very nice dinners and treated their bloated staffs to very nice Italian vacations.
Source: ABCNews.com, SBS.com.au
