Remember when hysterical warnings about the approaching climate catastrophe used to be en vogue here in Germany? You remember, long, long ago. Like during that near-snowed-out UN climate summit held in Copenhagen last year? That’s all passé now, for some inexplicable reason. And I, for one, really miss all the brouhaha.
The media here barely even bothered to cover the latest doomed UN climate summit, this time held in Cancun, Mexico, I think. The little coverage you could find was so drab, so pragmatic, so, I don’t know, so businesslike, it put you right to sleep. Well it did me.
Like where did all the fire go? Not a single riot anywhere. Where’s all the hybris and the hype? Whatever happened to those drowning polar bears and ticking clocks and time bombs and other highly dramatic life and death symbolic scenarios (scenario symbolics?)? Sure, I know, time has actually run out for us already. Copenhagen was the last chance (or was it Kyoto?), and yet the snow, I mean show must still go on, mustn’t it? But what do we get now? Now all anybody wants to talk about are emission certificates. Emission certificates and business opportunities. Pitiful. I remember when our planet’s future used to be at stake. Now the only thing at stake is “multilateralism.” Boooring.
Mad? You bet I’m mad, mister. It’s disgusting, I tell ya. I’m disillusioned (have you been dis-illusioned yet?). It’s freakin’ UN climate summits like these that give global warming a bad name.
“Climate change itself is changing — from an existential danger to civilization into an opportunity for profit.”
Observing Hermann 
Passé? Where’ve you been? 2010 – Hottest Year on Record (NASA): http://data.giss.nasa.gov/gistemp/tabledata/GLB.Ts+dSST.txt
How ’bout this one: UN And World Bank Say Pay Now or Pay Much More Later For Climate Disasters?
http://www.nytimes.com/cwire/2010/11/11/11climatewire-un-and-world-bank-report-says-act-now-or-pay-67256.html?ref=earth
Or this : From Environment Canada: the Canadian national average temperature for the spring of 2010 was 4.1°C above normal:
http://ec.gc.ca/adsc-cmda/default.asp?lang=En&n=4CC724DA-1#a1
No, but seriously, Christine, none of this is passé. I just don’t believe any of these numbers or scenarios they (whoever they are) wack us upside the head with all the time. The times may be a’changin’, but they always have been, geologically/climatically speaking, long before EVIL mankind went industrial. Or so I’ve read–or so my gut tells me anyway. But I’m no scientist. I just know I’ve been freezing my you-know-what off here in Germany these past (two?) winters and that if they can’t even get tomorrow’s weather forecast right, and they can’t for Berlin, how can they get the climate forecast right? There. I feel much better now already.
Copenhagen was the last chance (or was it Kyoto?), and yet the snow, I mean show must still go on, mustn’t it?
I just about sprayed my keyboard with a mouthful of coffee reading that sentence. Damn you, Cherman Beobachter.
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“Climate change itself is changing — from an existential danger to civilization into an opportunity for profit.”
Yes! Just wait till these smarts find out that 21% Oxygen and 79% Nitrogen compose the air. They´ll meter your CO2 breath for monthly inhalation rates and give you a chlorophyll savings tax if you exhale directly on plants. Observer, I think I´ll stoss out my Lachgas now.
I remember when Mother’s Day was a whole week in July – what happened, gals?? Goddam climate change, that’s what. AmIright or amiright??
Angry, Bud? YOU BET I’M ANGRY! For you see, she, I mean I, used to be one hell of a woman. Thank you.
I remember when Mother’s Day was a whole week in July – or is that the marihoochi talking?
Like ma bitch sed : “Global warming is when the whole world is on heat ;-)”