[The Telegraph, U.K.]
El Watan, Algeria
The 'Madness' of Copenhagen
"The
rescue of the financial system that underpins economic liberalism seems to have
become more important than saving the planet itself. The world's mighty have neither the capacity nor the will to change the course of history, convinced as they are that the perpetual pursuit of profit remains the only path."
By Ali Bahmane
Translated By Lisa Cabral
December 18, 2009
Algeria - El Watan - Original Article (French)
Everything leads one to
believe that Copenhagen will leave behind a bitter taste - particularly for those
who nursed the illusion that the grave environmental peril that imminently menaces
the planet would suffice to transcend ideology or the selfishness of the well-off.
Short of a miracle, the industrialized countries will be tempted not to commit by
2020 to a 40 percent cut in emissions compared to 1990, contenting themselves
with less than half that - a result that would distance them considerably from
the limits fixed by scientists who are sounding the alarm. The earth's future is
about to be terribly sacrificed on the alter of the calculations and interests
of the rich, who are convinced that making concessions for the climate would
likely “bring suffering” to the standard of living of their people. It's a
thesis that was bitterly defended by President Bush, who is now joined by Obama, who has
stepped down from his pedestal, aligning himself against his electoral promises
with the egotistical and shortsighted leaders of the developed world.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
The powerful have stayed deaf
to the calls of the more enlightened strata of their own societies just as they
have remained indifferent to the grave concerns of the third world: a reversal
in Copenhagen would automatically mean a dramatic worsening of poverty and the exclusion
of the have-not countries, all of which have suffered enough due to the unbridled ravaging of the planet for two
centuries - a mad rush in pursuit of economic
growth. Africa is the continent most vulnerable to climatic variations - including
their economic and social effects. In the Danish capital, the developed
countries have deigned to devote only $10 billion over three years, a pittance
given the insistent needs of the continent, and scandal when one knows that the
assistance offered to banks that fell victim to the economic crisis reached no
less than $3 trillion.
[The Telegraph, U.K.]
SEE ALSO ON THIS:
Liberation, France:
Global Cooperation -
Gone Like a 'Mirage'
Le Monde, France:
Copenhagen Climate Talks - 'Failure and Disappointment'
Le Figaro, France:
The Climate and the Challenge of Governing a Planet
Der Spiegel, Germany:
Gunning Full Throttle
Into the Greenhouse
Estadao, Brazil:
The Rich Show Their Hand at Copenhagen
Rossiyskaya Gazeta, Russia:
Gorbachev Presses World Leaders to Deliver on Climate
Kurier, Austria :
Potentially Negligent
Mass Murder: Climate
Change Must Be Faced
Guardian Unlimited:
Climate Summit in 'Disarray'
After Leak of 'Danish Text'
Frankfurter Rundschau, Germany:
'Grotesque Behavior' of Climate Powers
Financial Times Deutschland, Germany:
Beijing Instead of Copenhagen
Hurriyet, Turkey:
History's Judgment of
Our Generation Depends
on Climate Summit
Rossijskaya Gazeta, Russia:
Gorbachev: Dialogue Only Way to Resolve Korea Crisis
The rescue of the financial
system that underpins economic liberalism seems to have become more important
than saving the planet itself. That is the historic limitation of the Copenhagen
Summit: the mighty of this world have neither the capacity nor the will to
change the course of history, convinced as they are that the absolute and
perpetual pursuit of profit is still the only path likely to lead the human
species toward well being and happiness. The collapse of the communist bloc and
the spectacular turnabouts of China and Russia comfort them in their
convictions. Such blindness leads directly, in the near term, to the planetary loss
of millions of plant and animal species and the submergence of large amounts of
land, resulting in millions of refugees and dead; and in the medium term (the
end of the century?), to the outright extinction of all life on earth.
CLICK HERE FOR FRENCH VERSION
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US, Dec. 20, 4:55pm
