The only unpleasantness that marred this amiable gathering was when a group of reporters from the conservative newspaper Environment & Climate News had the audacity to request press credentials. Denied. Oh, and the Heartland Institute, armed with scientific papers that offered a dissenting view, was denied credentials also. The consensus being, let’s not allow global-warming deniers the chance to snow on our conference. Besides, haven’t they heard? The case for man-made global warming is settled.
So far, the U.S. is standing firm. The chief U.S. negotiator said Saturday, “The United States won’t commit to mandatory caps. We’re not ready to do that.” This stand will likely cost the U.S. delegation invitations to the best cocktail parties in the coming final week of the conference. But, hey, sometimes you just gotta take a stand.
I want to applaud all the attendees of this conference. Their dedication, their persistence, their sheer willpower is commendable. If they aren’t successful in forcing a massive redistribution of wealth from rich countries to poor, it won’t be for lack of trying. If, along the way, they manage to highlight the evils of capitalism while accruing power to the unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats at the UN, well, that’s just a price we all have to pay to keep the planet from melting. Thank-you, all of you. For saving the world, one useful idiot at a time.
