The path towards climate oblivion is well-worn
Climate talks always follow the same, drearily predictable path:
- The talks are prefaced by months of building excitement from the Greens and climate headbangers;
- The UN and the WMO issue urgent warnings about the extreme [insert any weather phenomenon here] and the consequent need for action;
- The media is jammed full of Hottest Year Evah™ headlines;
- Ban ki-Moon and Christiana Figueres start spouting the usual ‘last chance to save the planet’ BS;
- The parties arrive at their luxury hotels, having emitted thousands of tonnes of CO2 getting there;
- Once the initial excitement has died down, the partying has finished and everyone has epic hangovers, the same tired old differences between rich and poor countries emerge;
- Nothing happens until a day before the scheduled end;
- Suddenly, there will be frantic negotiation into the early hours to ‘rescue the talks’;
- Barack Obama, climate messiah, will fly in at the last minute – his mere presence an almost certain guarantee of success;
- A hastily cobbled-together ‘agreement’ (which will have no binding effect, and which will kick any hard decisions further down the road) will be announced in order to save face;
- The media and the Greens will publicly hail this sham agreement as a successful outcome, whilst secretly acknowledging that it is yet another embarrassing failure;
- Everyone disappears back home (belching thousands more tonnes of CO2), and the whole thing is forgotten until the next ‘last chance’ comes around.
Lima appears to be following the script pretty closely:
International climate talks in Lima, Peru, are entering their final week, with few hints of whether a newfound optimism that marked the start of negotiations will translate into an agreement that would rein in climate change.
Convened by the United Nations, the talks aim to craft the framework for an international accord to curtail heat-trapping emissions and adapt to changes already occurring on the planet. The final agreement is due to be signed in Paris next December.
Despite more than 20 years of discussions about what nations must do to contend with climate change, the world’s emissions of carbon dioxide and other heat-trapping gases are higher than ever, as negotiations have continued to snag on the contradictory priorities of different countries.
The latest round in the discussions began last week with fresh momentum, in large part thanks to steps the U.S. took last month, including a major deal with China to curb emissions and a $US3 billion ($3.6 billion) commitment to help developing nations fight climate change.
Yet over the days since the Lima conference began Dec. 1, clashes have flared between developed and developing countries over issues such as whether emissions cuts should be mandatory and how much money rich countries should provide to help poor nations cope with damage from climate change.
Many conflicts stem from countries hewing to familiar hard-line bargaining positions. The question remains whether the brinkmanship will give way to an agreement by the end of the week on key issues, the most pressing of which is ground rules on emission-reduction pledges that countries are to make early next year.
“It’s disappointing that countries can’t rise above these petty differences, but it’s not surprising,” Jake Schmidt, international climate policy director for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said from Lima. “Everything always comes down to the wire. (Cabinet-level) ministers have the chance to rise above this when they arrive this week because this is their chance to create their legacy on climate change.”
The window is closing fast for countries to cut greenhouse gases enough to avert the greatest global temperature increases and natural disasters associated with them, climate scientists and organisations such as the World Bank warn. The current round of talks would shape efforts to address climate change after 2020. A 2009 agreement reached in Copenhagen delivered voluntary commitments from some nations, including the United States, to take steps before 2020. (source)
All on track for yet another failure masquerading as success, then.
Australian Climate Madness 
..and they wonder why people aren’t paying attention any more? They have become bored with the predictability and inaction (not that action is needed anyway), and changed channels.
It’s pure vanity to even imagine that we mere mortals could influence the planets climate. I’ve seen movies where it has been done and love the fiction for its entertainment value.
Stephen, sorry to disappoint you,: ”human cannot produce ”global” warming, BUT: human can change the climate!!! Example: drain the overflows, swamps and lakes in Brazil, chop the trees -> it will became desert and bad CLIMATE, like in Australia. On the other hand – save extra stormwater inland Australia, to attract extra clouds from the sea -> CLIMATE will improve. That’s CHANGING THE CLIMATE! Day temp goes down, but night temp goes up = milder climate, where is more H2O inland; If you don’t know what is good or bad climate – because leading Warmist &Skeptics done a good job on you… ASK THE TREES!!! Not the ones who don’t know the difference between ”climate” and the phony ‘global warmings… Leading Warmist are exploiting that total ignorance in the ”skeptics” camp, and are flourishing
stefanthedenier, Australia became a desert when it broke away from Antarctica about 30 million years ago.
Antarctica became a frozen continent when Australia broke away from it about 30 million years ago.
Until this inevitable break of the two continents, both Australia and Antarctica, as one continent, had been a temperate rainforest region. (South America had broken away earlier. Together it was Gondwanaland).
The winds, air and ocean currents changed direction, thus initiating a different climate for the now two, separate continents. This, of course, took many, many millions of years.
No one drained anything.
Australia has, however, what is known as the Great Artisan Bore. For over one quarter of Australia, a large underground basin of water exists. It’s an underground sea…of fresh water…constantly topped up by rain.
There is a marvellous series, “The Rise of the Continents” by geologist Dr Iain Stewart. It was shown on ‘our’ ABC at an ungodly hour of 11:30pm. In any case, it is well worth watching. Everything about why the climate is what it is today is explained coherently and concisely in this series. (My son recently downloaded it from UTube and has bought the Blue-Ray discs on the internet).
More importantly, it puts to ground that other nonsensical theory that humans can change the climate.
This should be compulsory viewing at every school, not that hogwash by Al Gore, ” An Inconvenient Truth”. Maybe then, we would have more intelligent people as a result.
I think you forgot:
Conference extended for a day
Tears of joy and much hugging as delegates save the world. Yet again.
You also forgot that the Greens leader in Australia will condemn Australia, and say that we are an international embarrassment (it was Christine Milne on the wireless this morning, but it could have been Bob Brown anytime when Howard was in power). Low Lying Island Nations will also get special media attention to their plight.
I would love to see Christine Milne and the Greens party do their bit for climate control by practicing carbon sequestration – bury them!!
luisadownunder ”stefanthedenier, Australia became a desert when it broke away from Antarctica about 30 million years ago”
luisa, that’s what people know, when they learn from books or TV, intended to brainwash
The truth is completely the opposite!!!:As ”part of Gondwanaland / big continent, Australian part was a desert. When separated, she became surrounded with water on ALL 4 SIDES -> became rainforest.- all the coal deposits are made fro ferntrees, not a twig of eucalyptus in it
2] all contemporary deserts on the planet were made by ”human rubbing two sticks together” to produce fire artificially for the last 40000-50000years started; MOST DESERTS WERE MADE FOR THE LAST 8000Y! = therefore: Australia ”started” to became desert 25000y ago, most of the desert was created for the last 6000y..
You say:”There is a marvellous series, “The Rise of the Continents” by geologist Dr Iain Stewart”
louisa, you chose to misinform your kids with ”political correctness crap”.(PCC) it’s your choice.
the truth is: fire gradually destroys vegetation and is turning it into deserts! rain-clouds avoid deserts! Big City slickers ”learning from the book” book created, to get people away from the truth… I can only help you, if you have open mind.
2] or, the further away land is from the sea – chance for natural desert. 2]Australia is the smallest continent – surrounded by the biggest mas of water on the planet, and is the driest. Warmist don’t want ”improving the climate” = so they create crap: to get the land dryer – when dryer – day temp goes up / night temp down – but because they are collecting ONLY the hottest minute in 24h and ignore all the other 1439 minutes – it suits them
If genuine concerned people about climate – they save more stormwater inland
2] when I have to argue with a ”Skeptic” it shows how organised the Warmist / Marxist cult is – in advance they predict and prevent honest people of organizing / demanding climate to be improved. You start argument – when presented with truth – you run away; because Warmist White Collar Crime (WWCC) is controlling you as with a remote control. They blinded you, not to see that: Australia and Brazil are on SAME latitude / SAME amount of CO2 – unfortunately: for a typical ”skeptic”..they are not on a same globe…. tragic
You’re so funny!
I also meant “the Great Artisan Basin”, not bore. My apologies.
More nonsense, but you are entertaining in small doses
Why can’t anyone in Lima understand that as we’re still exciting the last mini ice age, temperatures are bound to rise write naturally, moderated by other overlaying natural cycles, sun, oceans, etc. Why can’t they also see that were in the down stroke of one of these cycles, hence keeping temperatures flat for the past 18 years despite continued CO2 rises (from the outgassing oceans, outweighing man’s emissions), clearly demonstrating that nature is far more powerful than man.
Great article Simon. But you missed: Green-Left politicians, apparatchik and lazy, useless public servants fight each other to be photographed with fly in celebrities like Bongo from U2.