Australian Climate Madness

Snouts out of the trough

It’s a drop in the ocean, to be sure, but at least it is in the right direction. The ABC, naturally, is inconsolable:

The Federal Government has slashed funding to a key United Nations environment agency by more than 80 per cent, stunning environmental groups ahead of a global climate change summit in Peru.

The ABC has learned the Government cut $4 million from the UN Environment Program (UNEP), which provides advice on environmental policies and climate change negotiations.

“Whether it’s air pollution, whether it’s ozone depleting substances, what’s happening in the world’s oceans, the conservation of biodiversity – for a relatively small amount, Australia benefits from leveraging well over $500 million in contributions that other countries make,” UNEP’s executive director Achim Steiner said.

Australia was due to contribute around $1.2 million this year, but has only offered $200,000.

Over the next four years it will scale back its funding by $4 million. (source)

Only a few billion to go, then…

Life is tough on the climate bandwagon…

Billions of taxpayer dollars will be pissed up the wall yet again, sending environmental rent-seekers and trough-feeders to an exotic luxury hotel to tell the world how to control the weather.

But don’t forget, the big one is in Paris next year, so this is just the warm-up. Hopefully, Paris will be just as successful as Copenhagen.

Typically, the ABC has one of its regular enviro-gasms:

Representatives from almost 200 nations have begun arriving in the Peruvian capital, Lima, for UN climate talks that get underway on Monday.

Delegates will meet for 10 days to work on a new deal to limit rising greenhouse gas emissions, meant to be agreed at a summit in Paris in December next year.

Christiana Figueres, the executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, has described the talks as a “stepping stone” towards a universal treaty.

“Never before have the risks of climate change been so obvious and the impacts so visible,” she said in a statement ahead of the meeting.

“Never before have we seen such a desire at all levels of society to take climate action.

“Never before has society had all the smart policy and technology resources to curb greenhouse gas emissions and build resilience.”

Pledges in recent weeks by China, the United States and the European Union to limit emissions have helped brighten prospects for a new global deal, even though it is likely to be too weak to match UN calls for deep cuts to limit heatwaves, droughts and rising seas. (source)

Worse than Groundhog Day.