Copenhagen will fail

Copenhagen will fail - it's official. At least that is what United Nations climate change chief Yvo de Boer told the Financial Times on Tuesday.Mr de Boer told the newspaper that the Copenhagen climate change conference will not produce a new international treaty to replace the Kyoto treaty.http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/ethicalman/2009/10/climate_conference_se...

Are we really surprised? In the Us the Conservative right is dead against any measure that will tax energy use or alter the inalienable right of every American citizen to have as much as they can possibly afford, even if they have to borrow against the future.

I have just returned from a visit with relatives in the US. There is no indication whatsoever that people there are buying small cars or doing anything really to scale down. Even the recent and still evident ecomomic downturn does not seem to have affected people's priorities. It seems to me to be the essence of materialism has totally been absorbed. Take whatever you can afford by saving, borrowing, or stealing as what possessions you have is the overall measure of your success in life.Taxing the poor to finance the offset of energy reduction is not the answer.There are really two major priorities in my not so humble opinion.

(1) Immediately limit population. Rescind by law that assumed human right to have as many children as you choose regardless of who is paying for them or what problems population explosion is causing. ALL of the climate change and global warming problemsin the near term are caused by over population and it is this population influenced by the overwhelming pull of materialiasm that not only impedes but seems to abort every action to exhort people to cut back. Just put yourself in the mindset of a transnational Director.Growth is the first commandment. It is either grow or die (be bought out!) If population is decreased where will the growth come from? It took me a long time to realise this. Of course population control cannot surfacer as a reasonable and possible item of discussion. The transnationals, who operate as legal entities with citizen rights but no consciousness will not and cannot agree to a serious economic decline - a serious downsizing on a scale that will have a chance in limiting the CO2 to 350 parts per million.

(2) Immediately stop cutting trees. Make trees objects of veneration and protect them for the CO2 absorption that they so freely provide for us. Immediately provide builders with alternative building materials. Costly, yes of course. But with planning and research, alternatives can be put in place such that the cost will decrease in the future.If we don't do these two things, then the cost will dramatically increase in the future.

So, let is look out for the results of Copenhagen on or near after 7 December. If they cannot come to an agreement that sets a pace of downsizing then we, the smallholder are truly on out own. Then we must look at the resources of our communities and take action to take care of ourselves. It can be done. There are lots of things we can do for ourselves. Transition Towns have a good start. We can learn from them and move forward. Let us see what happens or doesn't happen at Copenhagen.What do you think?