Copenhagen is over, and it is even less than met the eye yesterday. In fact, the “deal” isn’t even really a deal. From the story:
After intense overnight wrangling, delegates from 192 countries on Saturday passed a motion simply “noting” a loose deal aimed at limiting temperature rises to less than 2C, which was agreed by the US and four other large-scale polluting nations. However, critics warned the “Copenhagen Accord”, the result of two weeks of negotiations in the Danish capital, was full of holes and lacked a timetable – and environment agencies branded it toothless and a failure. One African delegation likened the deal to the Holocaust.
“Taking note” isn’t even necessarily agreeing with. And the “Holocaust” language will get these people nowhere.
2010 is an election year in the USA, and with the way the political winds are blowing, pushing to depress our economy over a hypothetical and speculative dire future isn’t worth the effort. If they were really smart, if they really believe we face an unprecedented climate catastrophe, then they’d take the time of the current impasse and open the doors wide for all to view the evidence pro and con. Climategate should be fully investigated, not covered up or shrugged off. All the raw data should be made available for everyone to peruse, all comers with proper credentials should be welcomed to contribute to the peer reviewed literature and at conferences. All questions should be answered, and in particular, the big shots of the movement should quite being imperious and debate until the cows come home. And nobody with doubts should be denigrated as “deniers”—as if they were irrational.
Until and unless believers in global warming do that—and more—people aren’t going to believe there is an actual crisis. This is especially so when even the most hysterical alarmists, such as Prince—long live the queen!—Charles don’t even bother to walk the walk.
