January 11, 2006

NO ONE IS VOLUNTARILY RESPONSIBLE:

Private firms 'can help climate' (Richard Black, 1/11/06, , BBC News)

The private sector will solve the problem of climate change, according to the US Energy Secretary, Samuel Bodman.

He told the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate that the job of governments was to help businesses take up clean technologies. [...]

The Partnership's guiding principle is that technology alone, developed and exported to the growing economies of Asia, can reduce emissions without the need for binding targets as contained in the Kyoto treaty.

But many observers doubt that companies or governments will adopt these technologies if they cost more than conventional systems. [...]

His view was endorsed by Australian industry minister Ian Macfarlane, who told reporters: "The real emissions are coming from industry.

"And it's industry which needs to embrace the technology, it's industry which needs to be in a partnership with government to involve this new technology, to take up its corporate environmental community responsibility, to set about ensuring that in 50 years' time our emissions aren't 50% higher than now."


Only private business will make it possible to reach targets. Limits will just speed the process, but ought to be wholly national ones, not transnational.

Posted by Orrin Judd at January 11, 2006 7:46 AM
Comments

In a recent conversation with a Neolite, she complained about GWB's lack of support for efforts to reduce global warming. I asked for evidence that such is actually occuring and that it's the result of human activity. Replying that it's evident to everyone, she cited as an example the terrible air quality in San Francisco during her visit last year, as compared to when she resided there 40 years ago.

San Francisco? Sited on the windward coast with prevailing Westerlies, inhabited by the most progressive and libertine of Democrats, suffering because of GWB not signing on to the Kyoto agreement? What happened to "think globally and act locally? Gone the way of "Do as I say, not as I do" perhaps? And I thought New Orleans was hopeless. Ask not what I can do for my City; ask ...

Posted by: Genecis at January 11, 2006 10:05 AM

Gen, Think back to forty years ago when the world was new and sparkling clean. When flower power was running things and your friend, the Neolite, was young and everything was possible.

Cleaner air back then? Doubtful the air quality has changed much in San Francisco unless she's talking about the air around the homeless who set up housekeeping in doorways or under the trees in the parks. The homeless on the streets of San Francisco is worse than I've seen in the Big Apple, even before the Giuliani miracle.

As you correctly pointed out, the highest concentration affluent moonbattery on the planet is crammed into this small area and yet they still can't get their pathetic and confused homeless people into proper housing.


Posted by: erp at January 11, 2006 11:02 AM

"Industry" may be the biggest emitter now, but if the teeming masses of India and China start riding around on motorbikes, or even individually in evilmobiles, then transportation-related emissions will be the top problem.

'Course, if they use diesel engines and burn biodiesel, then the problem is much smaller...

Posted by: Michael Herdegen [TypeKey Profile Page] at January 11, 2006 11:15 PM
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