Chirac Calls For 'Green Revolution' at Paris Conference

Yahoo! News ^ | February 2

[pcottraux]

PARIS (AFP) - French President Jacques Chirac opened a Paris conference on world environmental governance with a call for a green "revolution" to meet the challenges of global warming.

"Soon will come a day when climate change escapes all control. We are on the verge of the irreversible," Chirac told the meeting, which began just hours after the release of a key United Nations scientific report on global warming.

"Faced with this emergency, the time is not for half measures. The time is for a revolution -- a revolution of consciousness, a revolution of the economy. A revolution of political action."

Chirac opened the two-day gathering flanked by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, head of the UN General Assembly Sheikha Haya Rashed Al-Khalifa and Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I.

"Our international political system is inadequate for dealing with the vital challenge of the 21st century -- the question of the environment," Chirac told the gathering of some 200 delegates, including environment ministers and scientists from more than 50 countries.

Warning that "in this area too, unilateralism leads to a dead-end," Chirac argued that the existing UN Environment Programme should be transformed into a full-blown United Nations Environment Agency (UNEA), with more far-reaching powers and greater means.

"This UNEA will carry the environmental conscience of the world," he said. "With a strong political mandate... it will give greater strength, greater coherence to our common action."

Chirac said the Paris conference aimed to build a coalition of support for the creation of such an agency, an idea widely backed in Europe but opposed by the United States, as well as emerging powers Brazil, China and India.

"We are, and rightly so, proud of our intelligence and our technical achievements. But in the space of a few centuries we have burned resources accumulated over millions of years," he told the gathering.

"We are destroying eco-systems that sheltered a biodiversity lost for ever, depriving ourselves of vital keys for the future. We know all this: so what are we waiting for to take the necessary measures?" he asked.

He called for a "radical transformation of our methods of production and consumption," calling for a break with past technologies and a massive shift towards clean energies such as solar power, and bio-energy.

"But to do so we need clear and loyal rules of competition. Either the international community works to create them, or we face 'ecological war'," he warned.

He said the effort must be "fairly shared," saying "northern countries, first to build their wealth on the mass exploitation of natural resources, must accept their responsibilities."

The assessment released on Friday by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said global warming was almost certainly caused by humans, and carbon pollution disgorged this century would disrupt the climate system for 1,000 years to come.

[betsyross1776]

His country is so screwed up he doesn't care if the women in France wash clothes on rocks or if the little people have no air conditioners. Remember he is the same guy who while thousands died in a heat wave in the summer in France, he went to Canada to escape the heat.

[Luna]

This morning on KFYI here in Phoenix, Bruce Jacobs read an article from Newsweek from 1975 which talked about the coming global COOLING and all the doom that would accompany it. I got a good laugh out of it. Global Cooling or Global Warming...either way we're all DOOMED!!!

[Issaquahking]

I've contacted Jack Bauer, and he said not to worry "it's being handled" and he hung up! Evidently he feels the same way I do from an earlier post today...

France Tells U.S. to Sign Climate Pacts or Face Tax ^
	Posted by Issaquahking to Doogle On News/Activism ^ 02/02/2007 8:42:48 AM PST · 175 of 206 ^ All things French have been boycotted for years! This isn't french made The company that produces French's mustard is neither owned by French interests nor headquartered in France, however. French's corporate parent is actually a British firm, Reckitt Benckiser PLC; the popular mustard brand is designated "French's" because it was originally a product of the American firm R.T. French Company, named for its founder, Robert T. French. France will probably be the first islamic European country. Perhaps we'll see a "Mustard Nuke" in the next "24" on Monday, ya know them suitcase nukes could be anywhere!

[You Dirty Rats]

The real problem is that France and Old Europe are losing control -- as is Jacques. This is just another attempt for the elites of Europe to run the rest of the world. Unfortunately for them, they no longer have the military or naval power to impose their rule.

I'll give France a lot of credit for showing the world the right way to produce electricity - nuclear power. If Jacques wanted to actually say something useful, he should have pointed that out and offered to build reactors elsewhere in the world for a nice profit.

And as for a "revolution" -- sorry, Jacques, but the last French Revolution did not turn out so well for the rest of Europe nor, in the end, for France. Don't lose your head, Jacques.

[Old Professer]

Try that today in Tennessee and you'll die of hypothermia.

[Old Professer]

That's Oldthink; we are more informed and sophisticated today, the same soothsayers now know the goal is the destination, whether we travel by rail, by horseback or are dragged kicking and screaming.

[pcottraux]

Remember he is the same guy who while thousands died in a heat wave in the summer in France, he went to Canada to escape the heat.

Let them eat cake.

[SomeoneNeedsToSayIt]

I saw our friend from France was talking taxes recently. He needs to remember Europe needs to sell their goods here more than we need to sell our goods in Europe.

I'm sure retaliatory taxes could be arranged if he insists. You know those French, they will sometimes insist.

That's all, just insist.

[Joe 6-pack]

Hey Jacque...how about a soap revolution first?

[MediaMole]

The only "solution" to global warming is the complete extinction of mankind.

Perhaps the french can volunteer to start. We can certainly air drop a new batch of Liberator pistols to help them reduce their population.

[BuffaloJack]

Are they going to bring the "Green Guillotine" out of mothballs too?
If it's France and there's a revolution you have to have a guillotine.

[Edgerunner]

crickets...

[highlander_UW]

French President Jacques Chirac opened a Paris conference on world environmental governance with a call for a green "revolution" to meet the challenges of global warming.

This guy is a hypocrite...if he wanted to do something for air pollution and global warming he'd try to stop the non-stop burning of cars at the hands of their new masters...the guest workers.

[devolve]

[VeniVidiVici]

The National Socialits will use Global Warming as the excuse to micromanage companies and tax us into oblivion.

For the sake of the children of course.

[ApplegateRanch]

But in the space of a few centuries we have burned resources accumulated over millions of years," he told the gathering.

No point in never spending your savings on big-ticket items...especially when the account doesn't even pay interst.

And, as the bumper sticker says, "We're enjoying our children's inheritence OURSELVES!"

[potlatch]

WOW, fancy post devolve!

[devolve]

Thanks potlatch -

Extra Crispy Woodstock

I made another version of that LSLM banner after that post

[potlatch]

I've responded to all of them, will have to re-look at them!

[chainsaw]

Did Chirac say all this in German or French?