Copenhagen

The Bolivian President, Evo Morales, is reported by 'Democracy Now' as saying that: "The budget of the United States is $687 billion for defence. And for climate change, to save life, to save humanity, they only put up $10 billion. This is shameful." Yes indeed, America's priorities remain shameful despite today's news from the 'New York Times'  that: "With time running out on the stalled Copenhagen climate negotiations, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton gave new hope that an agreement might still be reached when she announced Thursday that the United States would help raise $100 billion a year by 2020 to help poor nations combat climate change. It is now reported that the United States will contribute 20% that $100 billion a year be? However, whatever it will be we can rest assured that it is not in line with the 20.2% of annual CO2 emissions caused by "Uncle Sam" and that it pales into insignificance when compared to the cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Moreover, the United States appears to be making its offer conditional on China allowing its efforts to limit emissions being monitored and that appears to be a "no, no" with the Chinese insisting that there will be no foreign intrusion into his country's affairs; although in the meantime Beijing has said that China would consider  insisted on no foreign intrusion into his country’s affairs. But, in what analysts said was an important concession, Mr. He, the Chinese Vice Foreign Minister, said that China would consider voluntary “international exchanges” to share information about its emissions. One should understand that the Chinese don't want anyone intruding into their internal affairs and only would America not tolerate a similar intrusion but also when it comes to America's own emission cuts we have every reason to be suspicious. Washington's reduction target of 17% per less than the 2005 levels by 2020, means in fact only 3% below the 1990 levels. In the meantime, experts are demanding that developed countries reduce their emissions by 40% below 1990 levels.

Nevertheless, while understanding China's stance at not wanting foreign interference in so much as Washington, once again, exudes hypocrisy in the position that it adopts, it must be added that China and the USA together account for almost 42% of the global CO2 emissions. Unless both countries get serious, and I mean very serious, in their attempts to reduce emissions, the planet is heading for a disaster of the sort that when it does take place, and it will, what Washington or Beijing thinks just won't matter. Still with EU leaders trying to pressure China and the US into making deeper emissions cuts, we can only hope. at least, until tomorrow!