The Nation: We'll Save The Earth On Our Terms

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121600816

The Nation: We'll Save The Earth On Our Terms

by Naomi Klein
December 18, 2009

Yesterday was the second to last day of the climate conference and I had the worst case of laryngitis of my life. I opened my mouth and nothing came out.

It's frustrating because I was just at Hillary Clinton's press conference and desperately wanted to ask her a question — or six. She said that the U.S. would contribute its "share" to a $100-billion financing package for developing countries by 2020, but only if all countries agreed to the terms of the climate deal that the U.S. has slammed on the table here, which include killing Kyoto, replacing legally binding measures with the fuzzy concept of "transparency," and nixing universal emissions targets in favor of vague "national plans" that are mashed together. Oh, and abandoning the whole concept (which the U.S. agreed to by singing the UN climate convention) that the rich countries that created the climate crisis have to take the lead in solving it.

Unless every country here agrees to the U.S. terms, the Secretary explained, "there will not be that kind of a (financial) commitment, at least from the United States."

It was naked blackmail — forcing developing countries to choose between a strong fair deal that stands a chance of averting climate chaos and the funds they need to cope with the droughts and floods that have already arrived. I wanted to ask Clinton: Is this not climate structural adjustment, on a global scale? We'll give you cash, but only with our draconian conditions?

…

[hatrack]

1. Or, "We'll give you cash, but only if we can emit whatever the fuck we want to"

What a pathetic joke.