150 world leaders have gathered in Paris for a party, and that’s all it is. It is not a serious assembly. Not in the least. It’s a party cloaked in globaloney garb. How do we know this for a fact? For one, the gathering is going to generate gigantic amounts of carbon pollution:
According to calculations by Wired and Steven Stoft of climateParis.org, the average round trip per attendee will be around 9,000 miles.
Taking the fuel consumption of a Boeing 747 – around 16.5 miles per gallon – which the website describes as a ‘happy medium between private jets and bullet trains’, it is estimated around 27 million gallons of fuel will be used by travellers attending the conference.
This figure was arrived at by multiplying the number of attendees by the average round-trip mileage to get 450million miles then multiplying that by 16.5miles per gallon.
With each gallon of fuel producing around 21 pounds of carbon dioxide, the total released by planes flying to and from Paris is thought to be about 575million pounds (290,000 tons), according to rough calculations.
‘Humanity faces many threats but none is greater than climate change. In damaging our climate we are becoming the architects of our own destruction” says Prince Charles.
Then again, Charles is not suffering for his carbon footprint.
‘As the leader of the world’s largest economy and the second largest (greenhouse gas) emitter… the United States of America not only recognises our role in creating this problem, we embrace our responsibility to do something about it’ says Obama.
And he ought to know. On Earth Day last year he generated 375 tons of carbon pollution.
Obama is not about to let a crisis, even a manufactured one, go to waste. He made sure that dinner would be an experience to remember:
As working dinners go, President Obama’s meal Monday night in Paris with French President Francois Hollande, Secretary of State John Kerry and others wasn’t too shabby.
No cartons of takeout — instead, the gang fueled up after a long day of climate talks at L’Ambroisie, the three-Michelin-starred temple of gastronomie in the Marais neighborhood.
Per the Michelin Guide, the ornately be-chandelier-ed dining room is known for “incomparable classicism and an immortal feast for the senses.”
Obama has a history of questionable behavior during what are perceived to be serious events- as during Nelson Mandel’s funeral:
Despite Obama’s bombast, no agreement is binding on the US without Senate approval.
Know how I frequently write that this is really about wealth redistribution on a grand scale? That’s because it is.
And therein lies the sticking point on which negotiations actually center: “climate finance.” Climate finance is the term for wealth transferred from developed to developing nations based on a vague and shifting set of rationales including repayment of the “ecological debt” created by past emissions, “reparations” for natural disasters, and funding of renewable energy initiatives.
Oren Cass adds:
Congressional Republicans, signaling they will not appropriate the taxpayer funds that a climate-finance deal might require, stand accused of trying to “derail” the talks. But opposing such a transfer of wealth to developing countries would seem a rather uncontroversial position. One can imagine how the polling might look on: “Should the United States fight climate change by giving billions of dollars per year to countries that make no binding commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions?” Certainly, President Obama has made no effort to even inform his constituents that such an arrangement is central to his climate agenda, let alone argue forcefully in favor of it.
The climate negotiators have no clothes. If making that observation and refusing to go along causes some embarrassment, those parading around naked have only themselves to blame.
Indeed. As of 2012, 1,000 new coal plants were planned worldwide, with most in China and India. India suggests that Obama is practicing “carbon imperialism.”
Obama prefaced the meeting by saying:
“What a powerful rebuke to the terrorists it will be, when the world stands as one and shows that we will not be deterred from building a better future for our children.”
It’s sheer idiocy. Ted Cruz:
(Obama) “apparently thinks having an SUV in your driveway is more dangerous than a bunch of terrorists trying to blow up the world.”
A summit on Islamic terrorism would have been far more appropriate.
The entire meeting could have been conducted online. That would have demonstrated resolve and a degree of gravitas, let alone minimize carbon pollution. But no. So characteristically, liberals flock to Paris to enjoy the endless excesses of their lofty perches as they demand the bourgeois make all the sacrifices.
They’re not serious. Neither should we be.
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.
Sure, this could have been accomplished on-line…
but then the opportunity to P A R – T A Y on someone else’s nickel would be completely lost.
@Bill: Total waste of time talking about man made contribution to climate change with no proof of effect and totally ridiculous goals with NO science!! Unless China and India are all in then WTF are we doing!!
@Bill –
You pretty much nailed it on the head about the “summit” being more about having a party. An online version would be so “yesterday” as the kids would say.