Bitter Divisions at Climate Talks

[RedEarth]

Source: NYT

NUSA DUA, Indonesia — Amid growing frustration with the United States in deadlocked negotiations at a United Nations conference on global warming, the European Union threatened Thursday to boycott separate talks proposed by the Bush administration in Hawaii next month.

Humberto Rosa, the chief delegate from Portugal, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, said the talks to be hosted by the Bush Administration in Hawaii in January would be “meaningless” if there was no deal this week here at the conference on the resort island of Bali.

Germany’s environment minister, Sigmar Gabriel, told reporters here, “No result in Bali means no Major Economies Meeting.” He was referring to the formal name of the proposed American-sponsored talks.

.........

Disagreements exist across a wide range of issues and between numerous blocs of countries but the United States has come under especially strong criticism here by countries rich and poor and by its own domestic critics.

“The best we hoped for was that the U.S. would not hobble the rest of the world from moving forward,” said Kevin Knobloch, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, a non-profit American organization. “Our delegation here from the States has not been able to meet that low level of expectation.”






Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/14/world/14climate.html?ex=1198213200&en=32efa4d7a0191edf&ei=5065&partner=MYWAY

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an alarming quote from the article......

The 10 years ending in 2007 were the warmest on record, said Michel Jarraud, the secretary general of the World Meteorological Organization, “It’s very likely the warmest period for at least the last 1,000 or 1,300 years,” he told reporters.

[KKKarl is an idiot]

1. Same old story

Bush does not care about anyone except his business buddies. I personally do not believe we will recover from his presidency. The world will face serious climatic changes because of his inability to act. Health care in the USA will only be for those few fortunate ones who can afford it. New Orleans will never recover to its former glory. Much more may come if the next president does not immediately change course.

[Lisa]

2. I'm hoping that Al Gore can help move things forward

As I recall, the Kyoto meeting also had some problems, and his decision to come over at the last minute had an impact.