On this day, 17 years ago, the UN Secretary-General called for “decisive measures” on climate change.
“PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS, 13 January — The United Nations Conference convened here to address the economic and environmental vulnerabilities of small island developing States opened its high-level segment today, with Secretary-General Kofi Annan calling for ‘decisive measures’ against climate change and a global early warning system in the wake of last month’s Asian tsunami disaster.”
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What happened next. Oh, lots of decisive measures. And if you believe that, I’ve got a bridge to sell you, in Sydney.
Why it matters. People keep investing hope in these international processes, as if someone is gonna arrive to save them. God help us all (see what I did there?). What Annan could have said was “The UNFCCC process is a farce. The lack of targets and timetables in the Framework Convention – because of Uncle Sam doing what Uncle Sam always does – means it’s a relentless talking shop. Probably in 16 years they’ll still be holding ‘last chance to save the planet’ meetings. I mean, wtaf.