Climate Change Convention Purpose

For John, BLUF:  Folks are not paying attention to what is going on, and then there will be a tussle over if and how this will be implemented by the United States.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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From Investors Business Daily we have an Opinion Piece saying that the UN efforts regarding Climate Change are not about Climate Change, but rather, about economic systems.  Here is the piece, "U.N. Official Reveals Real Reason Behind Warming Scare".

At a news conference last week in Brussels, Christiana Figueres, executive secretary of U.N.'s Framework Convention on Climate Change, admitted that the goal of environmental activists is not to save the world from ecological calamity but to destroy capitalism.

"This is the first time in the history of mankind that we are setting ourselves the task of intentionally, within a defined period of time, to change the economic development model that has been reigning for at least 150 years, since the Industrial Revolution," she said.

Maybe she is just saying that we are going to change the energy sources.  Here is the proposed Convention Ms Figueres is working on, the "negotiating text".

All Parties to enhance action and cooperate on the basis of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities to further implement the Convention in order to achieve its objective as stated in its Article 2 in order to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere at a level that would prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with climate system and to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner, which ensures reliance and adaptive capacity to the adverse effects of climate change, while recognizing the local, national, and global dimensions of adaptation in accordance with the principles and provisions of Articles 3 and 4 of the Convention,

I thought this proposed section was problematic.

Reaffirming the importance of education, training, public awareness, public participation, public access to information and international cooperation on these matters for promoting changes in lifestyles, attitudes and behaviour needed to foster low-emission and climate-resilient development and to mobilize public support for climate policies and action

They want to reform our "lifestyles, attitudes and behavior".  It is one thing for us to grow in our "lifestyles, attitudes and behavior" and it is another for Governments to take on the task of molding us.  That is the line between freedom and dictatorship.

Here is a sample proposed part of the text:

Recognizing that all actions on climate change shall significantly contribute to the post 2015 development agenda of the United Nations with a particular focus on human rights, good governance, gender equality and the needs of particularly vulnerable groups,

I sort of like that, but I wonder what is meant by "good governance"?  There is a term that bureaucrats can twist any way they wish.

The big problem with Capitalism is that it changed political relations, forcing the masters to compete for their positions of power by providing goods and services.  It lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty, provided better food and medicine, and lengthened life spans.

Regards  —  Cliff