None of this is cause for pause for Copenhagen’s backers. In fact some, such as scientist Tim Flannery, say it’s a mistake to view Copenhagen as a climate change agreement; to him it is much more than that.
During his visit to Ottawa earlier this week to promote his new book Now Or Never, Flannery said, “We all too often mistake the nature of those negotiations in Copenhagen. We think of them as being concerned with some sort of environmental treaty. That is far from the case. The negotiations now ongoing towards the Copenhagen agreement are in effect diplomacy at the most profound global level. They deal with every aspect of our life and they will influence every aspect of our life, our economy, our society, our relationship with the developing world, our relationship with the environment as well.”
Yet, if you were to ask most Canadians about Copenhagen (once you found one that knew what you were talking about), they would likely tell you that Copenhagen is about climate change.
It is understandable for the Canadian public to expect the government of the day to do what it can to protect the environment, to set regulations that prevent individuals or corporations from destroying our natural resources and polluting our air, land and water. Unfortunately, Copenhagen isn’t really about any of that. I highly doubt most Canadians know that an agreement the government is being pressured into signing by all three opposition parties, international organizations like the United Nations and by the green movement, would require that billions of dollars worth of Canadian tax money be sent overseas without any direct benefit to Canada or Canadians.
