The government of John Howard, a close ally of U.S. president Bush, has been swept from office in the Australian general election. The new prime minister will be Labor Party leader Kevin Rudd, who has pledged to sign the Kyoto Treaty and withdraw Australian combat troops from Iraq.Meanwhile, at a Commonwealth summit in Uganda, Canada has blocked a call for binding targets for greenhouse-gas emissions by developed nations. Canada objected to the fact that other nations, particularly India, would have been exempt.
1 comment:
"Rich countries first"
which means...
Those who pollute the most per capita and who also have the economic resources to initiate change, such as new technological advances, ought to be the ones who start reducing green house gas emissions. Once we have done so then it will be all that much easier for "developing" countries to reduce their emissions.
Let's be honest here, Bush and Harper's wining about nations such as India not being held to the same standards as the wealthy west is not about concerns for a better climate strategy. Really they are bad excuses for simply not wanting to be accountable to specific targets and deadlines.
What's really going on? Why do they not want the responsibility associated with this agreement?
Well I couldn't tell you but it might have something to do with being scared that if they don't reach those targets that it will look bad on them and their associated political groups and parties. Or maybe it's because they have other political mandates they would rather concentrate on.
What ever their reasons I don't suspect that they want the global chaos that may occur during a energy and resource crisis. Arguably, this chaos can be prevented or minimized if we start preparing for the changing climate now.
So, either Bush and Harper don't believe that such a chaos will occur, or they believe that there are other issues more pressing and don't want to be "burdened" with any targets and deadlines.
What ever the reason we don't have time for the short sited visions of these leaders. We have an opportunity to enact real change with real longterm consequences. I would hope that relatively selfish concerns don't get in our way.
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