Toothless Earth Summit

Typedef

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992744

According to this article in newscientist.com the earth summit is nothing more than a talking shop, with the EU pointing it's finger at the US and the US not really caring.

Funny that Germany, the biggest and most dominant country in the EU has had one of the worst records on environmental pollution when it comes to heavy industry polluting rivers.

http://www.cleanganga.com/articles/mar3.php

Clearly though the current American administration is quite bullish in it's environmental scepticism, which is a little surprising since it was George Bush's father George Bush Senior who participated in the original Earth summit.
http://www.nrdc.org/media/pressreleases/020830.asp

Of course the main obstacle to binding international agreements on environmental protection is big business, not the USA itself as a nation. Simply put, companies will not volunteer to spend money to clean up their industrial activities without some sort of impetus, as is demonstrated by the cleanup of the Rhine in Germany, big industry will only clean up it's industrial activities under duress, coercion or threat of the same via impending legislation.

Perhaps what is really needed is an environmental disaster like the wrecking of the Exxon Valez to act as a refresher for the public before big government will get up off of it's procrastinating rear end and act to protect the environment.

Victory is life

mike65

I'm not surprised there have been so few views of this thread, its too depresing a topic. I'm wary of knocking the Yanks as the EU can be wrong-headed if it suits ie farm subsidies and tarifs which are undermining third-world agriculture.

My own view is that anyone expecting a breakthrough was in for
an inevitiable dissapointment, the best thing we can do is carry-on as individuals and so the right thing.

Today I recyled about 40 bottles, 50 newspapers, 30 tin cans and a load of cardboard at my local tip-head centre. Okay I drove there but I could never have cycled with that lot on board!. I'm starting a bulb replacement programme using long-life low power bulbs and so on.

We could wait forever for government to act but we can do some stuff ourselves.

Mike.

kamobe

Good article in today's indo which sums the situation up nicely actually...

The summit produced an agreement, aimed at reducing world poverty and protecting the environment, that was finally formally adopted by all nations yesterday. It contained only two firm commitments - to help people in developing countries get access to sanitation and to set up marine reserves.


Little could have prepared General Powell for the rebuff he received as he addressed the largest summit of world leaders the UN has ever staged.


The US had repeatedly attempted to prevent the summit adopting a strong action plan, and as he ascended the podium during the closing session delegates from environment groups unfurled banners declaring: "Protect the planet, not corporates" and "Betrayed by Governments".


A sharp intake of breath greeted his insistence that "President Bush and the American people have an enduring commitment to sustainable development."


When he went on to stress America's "deep desire to help people to achieve better lives for themselves", he was answered by jeering that never quite died away during his five-minute speech.


It was after he accused Zimbabwe of policies that were helping to push "millions of people forward to the brink of starvation" that chaos really broke out.


The hall descended into turmoil as the United Nations security guards tried to pull down the banners. There was booing and jeering. Official delegates from other countries joined in, banging their tables.


For 90 seconds the summit chairman struggled to regain control as General Powell stood silently. When the chairman demanded people be quiet or leave, many left. "I've heard you, now will you hear me?" General Powell demanded, but the barrack redoubled.


"The US is taking action to meet environmental challenges, including global climate change," he insisted. "Bollocks" came the reply in the usually diplomatic auditorium. "This is unacceptable," the chairman shouted.

Bush really is a complete and utter ass
I was reading the Herald yesrerday. On one page there's an update on the Iraqi situation with the caption "dubya: All I'm saying is, give war a chance", next page the summit, which he is doing his best to make a mockery of.

The entire article can be found here.

bertiebowl

I thought Bertie Aherne urging other countries to spend more on foreign aid after cutting Ireland's program by roughly €35 million was the biggest act of hypocracy