Bali, Gore and now Arnie
With the year nearly over, I get the feeling that the world is just waiting for the Bush era to be over, too. Everything you read about climate change seems to be balked by Bush.
The Bali talks, which everyone in the whole world knew were vital to deciding our next steps, ended in a battle against the US stance. Al Gore felt the need to apologise for US behaviour saying that it would change once Bush steps down. Now Arnie is suing the administration because California, along with 16 other states, have been refused to set up new regulations curbing greenhouse emissions from vehicle exhaust pipes.
What is it with this guy? If he knows something the rest of the world doesn’t, he ought to start talking. Coz, from where most of us are standing, he seems to be edging the human race towards its own destruction. His interest in economics outweighs scientific argument. The man is either downright greedy, utterly stupid, or so ineffectual as to render the process of government useless.
The San Fransisco Chronicle carries a very good article by Shellenberger and Nordhaus On Global Warming. It points out that all governments, even those booing the US at Bali, could have the finger pointed at them for failing to meet their Kyoto promises. Then goes on to suggest that if government backed industry in the same way they did when the microchip was developed, then effective technology would quickly become affordable for the vast majority of us.