To prevent a financial crisis from turning into an economic calamity, the European Union has pulled the emergency brake on green policies. At last week’s EU summit in Brussels, seven eastern and central European countries, together with Italy, threatened to veto the Union’s climate pact. The rebel governments claimed that the originally agreed goal of cutting the EU’s CO2 emissions by 20% by 2020 was too expensive; economic turmoil and rising unemployment meant that implementing the CO2 goal was no longer affordable.
But wait, didn’t the Liberals assure us during the election campaign that the carbon tax scheme was working in Europe?
If this approach to cleaning up the environment is not workable in Europe, which has a far more diverse economy and a population density that is much more conducive to green transportation initiatives, how on earth could this work here in the frozen north, where our economy is resource-based and our commuter lifestyle and transportation needs are tied to fossil fuels?
Just as this planet has learned that improvements to healthcare and education can only come about after improvements are made to our overall economic well-being and technological advances, significant improvements to the environment will require the same conditions if they are to be sustained.
Just ask China.
You’re wrong. There, that wasn’t so hard. Now go sit in the corner, put fingers in your ears and don’t listen to anyone else. That’s what I do.
Sincerely,
Stephane Dion.
This disasterous ‘green-at-any-cost’ policy was long ago predicted to be a calamity in the making. In Great Britain alone the Chancellor of the Exchequer has caculated that the cap and trade system costs 3,000 pounds per year for every man, woman, and child in the nation.
I work with a woman from Germany who recently arrived with her husband on one of those two year temporary work visas. He was a truck driving instructor in Germany until most of the trucking firms moved to countries that have not let themselves be stampeded by this economic suicide. The trucks in Germany still move and still put CO2 into the air, but the taxes, profits, and jobs have moved out. She is devastated that the once most prosperous nation in Europe has been reduced to what she calls “a beggar state”. Take note Canada!
[...] they just aren’t a good idea when most European countries are attempting to fight off an economic downturn. Who’d have [...]
But I thought the Green Shift, in addition to saving the planet, was supposed to make us all rich and create millions of ‘green’ jobs?
To me, one of the scariest parts of Dion’s Green Shift was not the just plan itself, but rather the fact that Dion and some like-minded Liberal idiots honestly believed the bull crap they were spewing.
Dave, they do not “believe” it. They push Kyoto and carbon taxes because they will personally profit from them.
The foundation of Kyoto, the so-called “carbon trading” is the biggest scam ever, that generates huge amounts of money taken from stupid individuals who answer yes to “do you want to offset your carbon footprint for $25?”. Al Gore and his friends will all get a cut. If you do not believe me, look up Maurice Strong.
My biggest disappointment is seeing Harper pushing carbon trading. I guess he “believes” in it too.
Andrew, thank you for your timely comments on Chemically Green. I really appreciate another person who sees through the green slime of global warming. I appreciate your post and keep up the good work.
Mit just came out with an interesting article on the main cause of China’s pollution is burning dirty cheap high sulfur content coal. Also, a major ethanol producer has contracted to bill a large ethanol producing plant in China. Wonder why they are going to do this. Does this company seed the ethanol craze slowing down in America? Time will tell.
Co2 does not cause global warming and the kool-aid drinkers will never get it.
Co2 has not been proven to cause global warming. The GW agenda is nothing but a massive tax transfer and the defeated Cap and Trade bill in the U.S. Senate was nothing but a tax that would have cost the citizens of the U.S. dearly. Check out the CG post on this subject.
With the current world wide economic situation, the European Union is not going to be the only people cutting back on the Green Movement and CO2 reduction. The Koyoto protocol is a miserable failure and most of the EU countries have found out by having to pay fines for not meeting their carbon reduction limits.
If you get a chance, please email me and let’s get a dialog started.
Again, keep up the good work and look forward to hearing from you.
Steven Masson
Chemically Green
“Green Solutions for Today”
CG