Climate Politics
As well as nation states, an astonishingly well-funded 2,330 NGOs, many with multiple delegates, attended the Madrid climate conference, a macabre festival designed to de-rate developed world economies and retard the growth of others. Marxist UN Sec. Gen., António Guterres, was disappointed that the conference failed to agree on further measures, even though attendees like Greta and Harrison Ford urged them to do so.
The Climate Action Network declared, “many countries — fronted by the United States, Australia and Brazil — once again exposed their apathy to the suffering of millions and a willful rejection of the science”. Alarmists used Kenyan climate campaigner Mohamad Adow to proclaim the Madrid outcome as “disastrous, profoundly distressing”.
Few countries increased their own commitments to emission reductions. Rupert Darwall writes, “The Madrid conference was to have engendered … a kind of competition of climate virtuousness. All it could manage was a statement expressing “serious concern” about the widening gap between the participating parties’ collective efforts and the ambitious emissions trajectory required to keep the rise in global temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius.”
But, unfortunately, green power lobbyist, Michael Liebreich is more accurate in his summary that in spite of setbacks, “over the past three years, the Paris targets have been progressively more deeply embedded into the political, social and business landscape in nations around the world.”
This is corroborated by the ruling of the Netherland’s Supreme Court that the Dutch state 'must, under the European Convention on Human Rights, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 25 percent of 1990 levels by the end of 2020.' The court claimed this to be in accord with “The consensus in climate science and in the international community.” Greenpeace described the ruling as an 'immense victory for climate justice.'
Indeed, only the US has disavowed its previous commitments. US policy was underlined by Congress commencing a phase-down of solar systems’ subsidies from 30 to 10 per cent of the investment cost, with the wind power subsidy of two cents per kilowatt hour to become zero in 2025. This might change if subsidy seekers/Green New Dealers force a change!
Australian Opposition spokesman, Mark Butler, said Australia ranks 61st of 61 nations in climate change policy adequacy. This is hardly consistent with the regulator AEMO’s modelling which projects that, on existing policies, roof top solar could provide 13% to 22% of annual energy consumption by 2040. Minister Angus Taylor claims that we are doing more than others and, having exceeded our Kyoto goals, are likely to exceed those we set for the Paris accord. The Minister declined to say what the cost of this has been but cites Bloomberg reports of Australia having spent more per capita on “clean energy” than any other country.
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