Posted on 12/13/2007 10:16:18 AM PST by yoe
NUSA DUA, Indonesia - Former U.S. vice-president Al Gore blamed the Bush administration as the main obstacle to progress in international efforts to fight global warming, but he urged delegates at the United Nations to work around his country in the hope that a new government would be more willing to cooperate.
"I am not an official of the United States and I am not bound by the diplomatic niceties," Gore said in an hour-long speech on Thursday evening. "So I am going to speak an inconvenient truth. My own country, the United States, is principally responsible for obstructing progress here in Bali."
Gore was invited to speak to delegates in recognition of his Nobel Peace Prize, shared with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, for promoting awareness about global warming.
Drawing applause from a full crowd of delegates, Gore noted that the U.S. was not the only obstacle to launching negotiations for a new climate change agreement, but other countries as well.
But he urged the rest of the countries to move forward without the U.S., if necessary, knowing that the Bush administration would soon be replaced following the next American election.
He also used an analogy from Canada's national sport, noting that former hockey legend Bobby Hull used to say he was successful because he wouldn't pass the puck to where players were, but rather to where they were going to be.
Countries are seeking a mandate at Bali to negotiate a new agreement that must be finalized by 2009 so that it can come into force after the end of the first commitment period of binding targets under the Kyoto Protocol in 2012.
But the current U.S. administration along with Canada and some other countries, have been blocking language that sets a range of binding targets to recognize scientific evidence that humans need to achieve dramatic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions in order to prevent dangerous changes to the climate.
The Harper government has insisted it would block an international agreement if it does not include binding targets for major polluting countries such as the U.S., China and India.
Gore compared the climate crisis to the Second World War several times during his speech. He also suggested that those who are skeptical about warnings from leading scientists are no different than those who ignored the growing danger of fascism in Germany.
mdesouzacanwest.com
BWAAAHHHAAAAHAAA! That's great!
Nice job, in a miserable, sad, day today for me, you really gave me a smile! I appreciate it.
The people who are only looking for sound bite answers and solutions can feel good about themselves by donating money to a cause, without ever having to get off their couch.
I am not sure how old you are, but while I was growing up, in school all we heard about was the coming ice age, and how oil would run out, and over population, and, and, and.
My wife grew up hearing about how she was living in the end times, and probably wouldn't make it past puberty. The Pope was a double, put in place when he visited Poland, and so many other world ending things.
Now, if global warming is the worst we have to worry about, times are good. Bring on the drinks with umbrella’s in them, women in bikini’s, and abundant long lasting growing seasons.
I’m just waiting for Gore to get fat enough for his eyes to finally swell shut. They’re almost there. Then he’d have to stay at home.
Oh, it does.
Perhaps a quote from Men in Black would help explain it..
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky and dangerous"
Bottom line is, when you lump them all together they fall to the lowest common denominator, they're just plain dumb.
It’s amazing that the only issue for the liberals is the changing weather...
Just gotta love it when it happens like it is supposed to!
~~Anthropogenic Global Warming ping~~
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