Hiding your light bulbs under a bushel of bull

By Judi McLeod 

Thursday, April 26, 2007

Now that it is certain that China will pass the United States as the world's biggest source of greenhouse gasses in 2007, will the Al Gore-Maurice Strong Choir be singing from the other side of the hymnbook?

Strong, Gore's partner in all things environmental, holed up in China after his name was linked to the United Nations Oil-for-Food scandal. But as China's official environmental adviser, Strong knew for years that the communist country was headed to top the greenhouse gas offender's list.

Admittedly spending more than 50 percent of his time on Chinese projects since putting up in Beijing in 2003, Strong's avowed goal is to "replace the United States of America with China as a world leader in ecology". Fighting words that have failed abysmally.

"China has been forecast to surpass the U.S. in 2010, but its sizzling growth has pushed the date forward." www.Breibart.com.

The news came via an official with the Paris-based International Energy Agency (IAE) as quoted in the Wall Street Journal.

"In the past couple of months, economic growth and related coal consumption has grown at such an unexpected rate," IAE's chief economist Faith Birol said. "China's rising emissions will effectively cancel out attempts by other countries to reduce their own."

Birol's comments follow the weekend release of a Chinese government report detailing the costs of climate change but asserting that the country should focus on development before cutting greenhouse gas emissions.

Higher than average temperatures meant spreading deserts, worsening droughts, shrinking glaciers and increased spread of diseases, said the report, compiled by more than a dozen government bodies. It said emission limits were unfair and would constrain China's current energy and manufacturing industries.

Don't tell Al Gore, but this is the opposite to what sidekick Strong has been saying.

In 2005, Strong with Qu Geping, media dubbed "the father of China's environmental protection" made a joint announcement that business and government would join efforts to promote the research, development and utilization of environment-friendly technologies in different industries worldwide.

Strong, who is a former under-secretary-general of the United Nations under Kofi Annan, spoke highly of China's enormous efforts in environmental protection by governments at all levels, different organizations and individuals over the past decades. www.chinaview.cn.

Strong's power as an environmental advisor in China comes from no idle boast. The international diplomat's roots to the Orient date back to a country where his cousin, Louise, a personal friend of Chairman Mao, was buried with full honours.

Nicholas Sonntag, a Canadian who heads up the Beijing office of CH-2M Hill, one of the world's leading environmental companies, says, "They're (China) taking a big risk. They're determined to be the economic engine of the world. This is why Maurice is here--to help them think things through."

Strong recognized China's immense potential as a customer for electric power as far back as 1993.

"This is one of the most rapidly expanding markets in the world," Strong told reporters in a conference telephone call from Beijing without elaborating. "China needs a lot of electrical power."

The global warming partnership of Al Gore and Maurice Strong has one set of rules for China and another for the west.

In North America, all scientists who want climate change argued on the basis of science rather than politics are demonized and likened to Holocaust deniers.

China, which will focus on development before cutting greenhouse emissions, gets a Gore-Strong pass.

The Peoples' Republic of China is a signatory to the Strong-designed Kyoto Protocol on reducing greenhouse gasses, but is exempt from restrictions because it is a "developing country".

Will the Gore-Strong environmental partnership lecture China for its massive carbon footprint, or is there still more money to be made in promoting the U.S. as the world's biggest polluter?

Meanwhile, better hide your light bulbs.