Copenhagen Conference on Climate Change (3)

The Copenhagen Conference ended yesterday with a so-called "political" agreement - not a draft treaty. The best description of this agreement is that it is little more than a fig leaf and, as I previously suggested would happen, nothing useful was achieved.

The issue is that the developing nations, including fast growing countries such as China, Brazil, and India, want the industrial nations to do all of the heavy lifting. Admittedly the industrial nations have spent the past two hundred years as the major contributors to the problem but that is not the point. Given that China has now passed the USA for the title of CO2 Emitter #1, and India is not far behind, no solution is possible without major reductions on the part of the developing world.

Worse, since CO2 and other greenhouse gases do not respect national borders, even if the industrial nations can cut their emissions to zero - resulting in intense discomfort followed by grinding poverty - the problem is not solved. Unless all countries co-operate - and act - no solution is possible. Indulging in frenzied "blame throwing" is worse than unhelpful.

One possible approach to the fossil fuel and greenhouse gas problem is a substantial carbon tax levied on all fuels used at home (including imported fuel) and an equivalent border tax on imports of goods and services from countries that do not apply such a tax. Needless to say such an approach will be complicated - and loopholes will abound - but now is the time to start designing and implementing such a program.

If we do nothing, then let us eat, drink, and be merry - for tomorrow we die - which suggests that we just don't care about our grandchildren and their children. That approach can only be described as profoundly immoral.

Enough said.