Posted on 06/05/2008 6:31:21 AM PDT by Issaquahking
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said global warming was becoming the era's defining issue and would hurt rich and poor.
"Our world is in the grip of a dangerous carbon habit," Ban said in a statement on World Environment Day, which is being marked by events around the globe and hosted by the New Zealand city of Wellington.
"Addiction is a terrible thing. It consumes and controls us, makes us deny important truths and blinds us to the consequences of our actions," he said in the speech to reinforce this year's World Environment Day theme of "CO2 Kick the Habit."
World Environment Day, conceived in 1972, is the United Nations' principal day to mark global green issues and aims to give a human face to environmental problems and solutions.
New Zealand, which boasts snow-capped mountains, pristine fjords and isolated beaches used as the backdrop for the "Lord of the Rings" film trilogy, has pledged to become carbon-neutral.
"We take pride in our clean, green identity as a nation and we are determined to take action to protect it. We appreciate that protecting the climate means behavior change by each and every one of us," said New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark.
New Zealand staged art and street festivals to spread the message on how people can reduce carbon usage. In Australia, Adelaide Zoo staged a wild breakfast for corporate leaders to focus on how carbon emissions threaten animal habitats.
GLOBAL EVENTS
In Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, people plan to clean up Gulshan Baridhara Lake that has become badly polluted, and in Kathmandu the Bagmati River Festival will focus on cleaning up the river there.
Many Asian cities, such as Bangalore and Mumbai, plan tree-planting campaigns, while the Indian town of Pune will open a "Temple of Environment" to help spread green awareness.
But in Europe, which claims to be a leader in the climate change battle, Environment Day passed with barely a blip.
Britain urged individuals to take action and the Environment Agency called on people to be prepared for more flooding, to use less water and protect wildlife.
Global carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels are rising quickly and scientists predict rising seas, melting glaciers and more intense storms, droughts and floods as the planet warms.
A summit of G8 nations in Japan next month is due to formalize a goal agreed a year ago that global carbon emissions should be reduced by 50 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
But some nations want a reduction of 80 percent of carbon emissions by 2050 to try to stabilize CO2 concentrations in the air to limit global warming.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said climate change was already a reality: "We have been experiencing the worst drought in living memory and our inland rivers are running dry.
"We are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent on 2000 levels by 2050. We will implement emissions trading as the primary mechanism for achieving this target," he said in a statement.
The U.N. Environment Program said greening the world's economy would cost as little as a few tenths of global GDP annually over 30 years and would be a driving force for innovation, new businesses and employment.
I’ll read this after I finish my 10:00 am cigar.
These freaks never talk about the CO2 that comes roaring out of the ground all on its own. When CO2 is destructive, so will oxygen be destructive.
Belchhhhhhhh! oops, sorry. Burrrrrrrp!Sorry again. Happens every time I think of the U.N.
Exhaling.
Don’t trees and plants have a serious CO2 addiction, too?
KILL ALL THE TREES!!!!!
; )
Will be enjoying a Padrone after supper tonight.
Until then, I’ll hold my breath to make up for all the CO2 I’ll be adding. /sarc
Secretary General Ban is a moron.
...unless there is a natural selection for abject stupidity, that is.
A few tenths? How many tenths? One tenth? Two tenths? Three tenths? Four?
You’re right. Pseudo-scientific superstition has been with us always. Just seems strange in these supposedly enlightened times.
CO2 addiction - reminds me of the story of the farmer who wanted to cure his horse if his addiction to eating. Just about had him trained when the dang thing up and died.
Eventually they will get around to fear of fear itself.
Events include Jamal from Brooklyn surrendering the remote control and getting the newspaper to find a job.
In Atlanta, Shanika is making a firm resolution to not have any more out of wedlock welfare babies.
In Denmark, Achmed has taken a vow to not smuggle any more relatives in claiming their are all part of the “Jensen” family.
And in France, five young “Asians” have taken to the streets with hefty bags to clean up the broken glass and trash form last weekend's rioting.
The events have inspired many young adults, including 43 year old Billy-Bob who has made his own personal pledge to buy more Virgina State Lottery tickets in the hope of “winning it big one day” and finally moving out of his mom's double-wide. Until then, he is unfortunately stuck with receiving the unemployment check each month. When asked why he just doesn't get a job a the local WalMart where there are dozens of positions available, Billy replied; “I'm really skeered I might wrench my back again”.
So, for the most part, and despite the minor setbacks for the Billy-Bobs of the world, the world's collective @$$ is getting less flat.
I call for an end to global warming hysteria addiction.
If the greenies were serious about sequestering carbon, they'd advocate growing trees, turning them into paper, using that paper once (no recycling), then burying the paper so deep the oxygen of the air can't get at it. But their ignorance of science leads them to demand just the opposite.
In other news..2-5 inches of SNOW PREDICTED IN COLORADO TODAY!!
http://www.9news.com/news/article.aspx?storyid=93030&provider=top
GLOBULL WARMING ALERT.
I don't think you are going to get plants to break the habit, DUMBASS!
None of these people really believe this crap (our side included)
I’ts all about $$$ and power (control)!!
Its the same as nitrogen addiction.
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