Boos to U ...... S of A
Along with the loud boos from delegates and observers, the castigatory comments of former US Vice President and recent Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore, and the fine words of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, SBY finally coerced the administration of the Good Ol' U.S.of A to fall into line with the rest of the world.
Yep, 180 nations have finally agreed to support the road map towards a consensus on eventually getting their acts together to perhaps do something about the world's rapidly deteriorating environment.
The "Bali Roadmap" for new climate negotiations leads to one address and one date: 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and Jan. 20, 2009.That's when a new occupant of the White House will be sworn into office, and when a fresh U.S. team, with what many expect to be a new attitude, will take up the negotiating mandate issued here. 2009 is when the current round of negotiations is scheduled to end so that a new deal on emissions reduction can come into force upon the expiry of the Kyoto Protocol in 2013. So that's five more years of grandstanding in more five star accommodation before anything substantial is agreed to.
Judging by his statement, which helped push the US delegation into joining the consensus, SBY is a world statesman:
Future generations will remember whether we rose to the occasion and seized the opportunity before us or let it slip through our fingers. Too much is at stake. It is time to think outside the box.Fine words indeed, so it's going to be interesting to observe developments between now and the next meeting. Deeds not words are called for and in the USA, a number of states have taken unilateral action and introduced legal measures aimed at decreasing their 'carbon footprint'.
From California to New England, U.S. state governments are enacting their own mandatory caps on carbon dioxide and other industrial and transportation gases blamed for global warming. Scores of U.S. cities have adopted Kyoto-style targets, trimming emissions via "green" building codes, conversion of municipal fleets to hybrid vehicles, energy-saving lighting and other measures.I wonder what initiatives SBY will enforce here in Indonesia. He's already told provincial governors to create cycle lanes. It's a start but somewhat inconsequential.
If I were President .......
I would start with a moratorium on the logging of primary forest and the further draining of peatlands. Every logging contract must be audited and any and all violators must face the full might of the law.
I would also encourage a fundamental change in the lifestyles of those who can afford shopping mall prices. Let us not forget that half the population do not have such a purchasing power and are already 'making do'. So can the rest of us.
There is no need to spend a billion dollars on a nuclear power station if we all set the minimum temperature of our air conditioners a couple of degrees higher and we remembered to switch off those electrical appliances not in use.
Use the funds allocated for such mega-projects to build public transport systems which will be both convenient and comfortable enough to encourage private motorists and motorcyclists to give up their mode of transport, which we must remember they chose in the absence of public transport.
The fuel subsidy saved can be further invested in the research and development of renewable energy sources ... and so it goes
There is much that can be done if we don't allow ourselves to be boxed in with our preconceptions.
Or greed.
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