Full feedUS marginalized - but will it be enough?
Posted by Arieta Moceica from Fiji at the Bali International Conference Centre
It is now 5pm of Saturday 15th December. The UN Climate Change Conference was scheduled for 3-14 Dec. The conference is still in session! Why are we still sitting here in plenary hearing the debate on the text a full day after what was to be the official end date?
In the face of heartfelt plea from the voices of those at the forefront of the impacts of climate change- namely, Tuvalu; Grenada on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and a few others, this morning the US continued to hold to its stubborn, non-negotiable stance which threatened to bring the meeting to a horrible end - ie. no mandate and a total waste of money, time, effort and the poltical will of industralised nations like member states of the EU. South Africa and PNG then made really strong interventions calling on the US to be the leader its been in other arena; PNG told the US that if it could not be a leader, then to get out of the way and leave the space to others.
Sheepishly, the US fell into line. As the room applauded, I did not want to waste my energy applauding because for me as a Pacific Islander, I ask " what took it so long to get to this point and why did it have to be kicked in the rear end to get in line?" I will wait to see what the US gets up to in the coming 2 years. It is the hope of those of us who witness first hand the impacts of climate change that as the will of the people in Australia changed the arrogant government of Howard; that the same will happen in 2008 in the USA.
In the last few minutes - the text adopted under the Kyoto Protocol had the ranges Greenpeace has been fighting hard for (25-40% reductions by 2020 compared to 1990 levels). Australia's support was particularly welcomed with rounds of applause. As a Pacific Islander, this gesture on the part of Australia is much welcomed and we look forward to more positive relations.
This session just ended is the start of a 2 year process which will negotiate the work for the second round of commitment under the Kyoto Protocol. What the Pacific islands need is strengthened capacity to be like Tuvalu, in its tenacity, in continuing to raise its flag and voice in the face of bullying tactics by big industrialised nations like the USA. What the Pacific islands need is real action against climate change. Now!
Comments
It's the myopic arrogance not of the United States but of people spewing the level of arrogant, ignorant rhetoric such as you (and Bill Hare) have demonstrated that makes me far less inclined to view any of these developments favorably.
The truth is that Rome is burning, but it's not the United States that's fiddling - it's people like you and the PROFOUNDLY hypocritical Bali participants who have glommed on to this movement like PTA members arguing and campaigning over dress codes while the school itself is consumed by fighting, corruption and violence.
No, the U.S. was not humiliated over this. The real humiliation lies with the U.N. itself, unable to accomplish anything at any time, unable to rid itself of its vast and increasing corruption, but ONLY able to bring together a group of nations who can agree on one thing: pointing the finger at those with "power."
Congratulations to the U.N., Bill Hare, and to you, Daniel. You should be supremely proud of just what the Bali conference demonstrated.
Posted by: Michael | December 15, 2007 8:47 PM
I want to know when the populace of this planet is going to face the factthat we are going to have to come under voluntary mandates to do what we can as indivuals as the money interest won't comply.
If we refused to eat at fast foods because of the plastic output and put that out there as a mandate for Americans, that industry would change or better yet if we backed no outgoing food in plastics , plastics might suddenlt start making stuff out of compressed seaweed. If we asked for mandatory laws for heating and air conditioning we could defintely see a difference, if we insisted on a world wide basis that the Braziliian Rain Forest become an International Park with an invisible fence around its original space to keep out loggers and murderers of their investigators we might still have our biggest lung.
But things have to be marketed and then they can be funded. The word has to be advertised or this country doesn't hear it.Everyone needs to be involved and though this web site is great it isn't big or wide enough. We need to join up with the old Pulic Service messages so that people see the problem and hear about a solution they can engage in and if they don't do it willingly as in the last 20 years, then we get Sen and Cngrsmn to pass the mandates or insist on mandates with those in office. The fact of the matter is that we are already too late,TOO LATE and all we can do is maintain now , perhaps hold on and that requires giving up some freedom if we are the worst offenders then we have to give up the most freedoms for, say, a 10 year span and see what will happen.
Posted by: raingirl | December 16, 2007 1:44 AM
Michael, Michael, Michael...
You voted for Bush didn't you? And then you went and did it again in 2004. I bet you did. Now you feel partly responsible for all this mess, and are looking for someone else to blame. In psycologist lingo this is what's called transference.
What I suggest is stop trying to find other people to blame, and own up to your own responsibilities. The US government is dragging the world down on this one. And I'm telling you this as a fellow American.
We need to kick those bums out and put in some people who will get shit going.
Posted by: Andrew - Greenpeace web editor | December 17, 2007 4:59 PM