What Would Captain Planet Do?

G8 airlifts wine to global warming conference, doesn’t see hypocrisy

Posted in Climate Change, Energy Saving, Environment by Dakota on August 16, 2008

The G8 is a group of eight large industrial nations in the northern hemisphere. Founded in 1974, it was the rich nation’s answer to OPEC. The group has since been at the forefront of many global issues.

Recently they had a meeting in Japan to discuss climate change, and what more their nations could do to minimize carbon emissions. They didn’t really accomplish anything with their conference, that is except for increasing carbon emissions.

As if it weren’t bad enough that the group of leaders flew thousand of miles on private jets to talk to one another, because videoconferencing just isn’t their thing. It’s been reported this week that wine from California had been airlifted in especially for the conference.

How very Kim Jong-Il of our leaders.

http://wwcpd.org/2008/g8-hypocrisy/#comments



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  1. dakota Said,

    from Page 2 on ESPN by Gregg Easterbrook

    When G8 leaders met in July in Japan, in part to decry the rising price of grain and rice — convening one day after U.K. Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a G8 member, advised British citizens to buy less at the grocery store in order to economize — they had a six-course “working lunch” with two wines, followed by an 18-course dinner with six wines. Even considering a ceremonial Japanese meal consists of many courses, this seemed to be Marie Antoinette territory. Menu items included caviar, “almond oil foam,” winter lily bulb, “kelp flavored beef” and “hairy crab bisque soup,” which must be really rich since “bisque” means “shellfish soup.” The wines, paid for by taxpayers, were usually expensive; for example, a Ridge Monte Bello 1997, which sells for about $125 per bottle. News reports said California wines such as the Ridge were specially flown to Japan, again at taxpayer expense, for the heads of state and their assistants.

    After the bisque and champagne, the G8 leaders announced to much theatricality that greenhouse gases would be reduced 50 percent — but not until 2050. That is, current leaders will do nothing, leaving all real work to their successors. But while demanding that somebody else cut greenhouse gases, the G8 leaders were perfectly happy to burn fossil fuel to improve their dining experience. And the bold G8 declaration that somebody else will act against greenhouse gases 42 years from now? It’s nonbinding.

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