Your Independent Journal from the Heartland
Amid the Tshit Tsunami that is every day in the Trump Administration, some news of importance gets lost in the leakage. One of these was the climate conference held in Brazil in November.
COP30 (Conference of the Parties) organized by the United Nations with at least 160 countries, had a mission to agree on actions to address the climate crisis, such as limiting the rise of global temperatures, helping vulnerable communities adapt to devastating climate change, and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.
Some of the major news outlets had teams on hand but that doesn’t mean the story got priority airtime or headlines. But have no fear – your intrepid correspondent will serve up a snarky summation of the summit.
‘Scuse my cynicism but when a record 1,600 fossil fuel lobbyists attend a conference intended to phase out those fuels, it predicts disaster.
The New York Times covered the closing of the conference on Nov. 22, noting that Saudi Arabia and Russia got what they wanted – a resolution with no teeth to enforce or even mention the need to reduce fossil fuel production. The United States, the second biggest emitter of climate changing gases in the world, effectively boycotted the meeting, while it is busy revving up fossil fuel production and canceling federal support for renewable energy and electric vehicles.
Former Vice President Al Gore said, “Petrostates and their allies are doing everything they can to try to stop the world from making progress on solving the climate crisis.”
Thousands of delegates were dedicated to strong policies of reducing climate change but they ended up angry and frustrated they couldn’t overcome the cash and clout of the petro powers. There were thousands of protesters out in the streets in solidarity with them.
Even Mother Nature seemed to express her rage. The Times reported that there were near-torrential rains every day, flooding negotiating rooms, while deafening claps of thunder raised goosebumps on participants. The theatrics were topped off by a fire that required treatment for several people.
About half the constituent countries, including UK and European Union defied the powers-that-be and committed to worthy ecological goals, but they weren’t able to get the conference as a whole to adopt them. A bright spot that passed thru the darkness was a $9 billion dollar tropical forest fund proposed by Brazil.
A decade ago, the Paris Agreement held out hope for a practical plan to address the climate crisis. Now, 10 years later, many parties of the convention have apparently abandoned those good intentions. You know about good intentions, doncha? The road to Hell is paved with them, according to the old adage. Going back even further to the Bible, God ended the bliss in the Garden of Eden due to human misbehavior.
So will mistreatment of our Earthly paradise cause an upheaval of Biblical proportions? One thing is for sure – Mother Earth will not be bullied. If we abuse her, she will deliver our karma back upon us. In the meantime, it’s a good idea to invest in hip waders and fire extinguishers.
Frank Lingo, based in Lawrence, Kansas, is a former columnist for the Kansas City Star and author of the novel “Earth Vote.”
Email: lingofrank@gmail.com.
See his website: Greenbeat.world
