Germany Promises Climate At Top Of G8 Agenda Next Year - Reuters

[hatrack]

BERLIN - Germany will make fighting climate change a top priority when it takes control of the G8 next year and will try to persuade the United States of its importance, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday.

Merkel, a former environment minister, said she wants to put cutting emissions of the "greenhouse gases" blamed for global warming back on the agenda of leading industrial nations after Russia played down the issue during its G8 presidency in 2006. But she said any efforts to stop global warming without the cooperation of "our American partners", the world's largest producer of greenhouse gases, were doomed to failure.

"That means we've certainly got our work cut out for us -- let me say that clearly," Merkel said to applause, referring to the United States, which in 2001 withdrew its support for the Kyoto Protocol, a treaty designed to limit greenhouse gases.

"To prevent global warming, the nations with the largest emissions of gases that are causing climate change have to take part," Merkel, who holds a doctorate in physics, told a meeting of conservationists in Berlin. "That's why we will make this an important issue once again on the agenda during our G8 presidency," said Merkel, who has picked a village on the Baltic coast as the venue for the 2007 G8 summit.

EDIT

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/38271/story.htm

Which means, I suppose, that Bush will wonder once again why we didn't ask him about the pig.

[aquart]

1. NEXT year?

Gosh, even the ones who believe it still don't get it.

[YankeyMCC]

2. Kudos to Chancellor Merkel

I don't know much about her honestly - except that she experienced what appeared to be a very uncomfortable moment with commander coocoobananas - but it does seem hopeful that someone with a PhD in Physics and the political acumen to become Chancellor of Germany has taken up the cause.

But weren't we supposed to get this top billing at the past meeting? If there are any terrorist attacks near the time of this meeting (which certainly isn't unlikely) I be impressed if she manages to keep this as top billing.

[phantom power]

3. Suppose she does get it "top billing." It doesn't really matter...

because the USA will either prevent any actual resolutions from occuring, or simply ignore them.

[YankeyMCC]

4. Well unfortunately

you're likely correct. And in fact as someone else posted above, next year's nice but we need to be taking action NOW.

But I will give kudos to anyone, particulary someone of her stature and potential influence who tries within their scope of influence.

[phantom power]

5. True, You can't ever win if you don't play.

[Dead_Parrot]

6. Is this before or after they start building the 8 new coal plants?

:boring:

[NNadir]

7. Here is a list of nations which produce more carbon dioxide than Germany.

The United States. China. Russia. India. Japan.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/international/iealf/tableh1co2.xls

Germany has made a huge committment to increase it's coal burning, ignoring completely the output of any new coal fired power plants.

http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/37033/story.htm

It is somewhat amazing therefore to hear the German Chancellor imply that it's someone else's fault.

Like the United States, the Germans are masters of hearing what they want to hear, masters of lying to themselves.

Here is a photograph of the German future. All those huge white spots dwarfing the agricultural fields are strip mines.



Of course, it is not surprising that German politicians are liars who tell people what they want to hear while doing nothing significant. The Germans, like everyone else, deserve what they are going to get.