Posted on 08/28/2002 6:30:22 AM PDT by scan58
Interminable squabbles between big business and environmentalists and divisions between the haves and have-nots have so far dominated the UN Earth Summit which has eight days left to formulate a panacea to reduce global poverty and protect the environment.
Green groups claimed a minor victory yesterday with the return of text in the summit's draft action plan calling for businesses to account for damage they cause to the environment.
The wording on corporate accountability had been dropped from the draft of the summit's Plan of Implementation.
The proposed text backed a "global reporting initiative," a scheme already floated by the UN Environment Program (UNEP) in which large companies are encouraged -- but not required -- to report annually on activities that affect the environment, such as greenhouse-gas pollution.
Oxfam spokesman Tom Sayer said that the text had "popped out" but "now it is back."
However, others were not as pleased.
The World Bank's chief scientist Robert Watson complained the summit had totally overlooked global climate change, partly to appease US President George W Bush, and warned that freak floods and droughts devastating parts of Asia and Europe could become the rule.
Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian activists demonstrating against "Israeli occupation" briefly clashed with Israeli students showcasing the widespread use of solar energy at a fringe event of the Johannesburg summit, forcing police intervention.
In Cairo, a Palestinian delegation leaving for the summit said it would present evidence of Israeli environmental damage to the occupied territories.
Faruq Qaddumi, the head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's political department, said Israel had stolen Palestinian water, uprooted orchards, and bulldozed agricultural land and promised to "give the summit participants a picture of the agony."
They could start by not wasting millions on all the lobster, caviar etc. they are scarfing down while people are starving down the street from their discussions on reducing global poverty.
HOW WONDERFUL IS THAT IMAGE???!!?! A bunch of environuts beating each other over the head with solar cells, while the Jewish state quielty runs mostly on nuclear energy, and the Palis drag down the global economy with their localized polution of destroying their own infrastructure! Oh the irony.
How about accounting for damage environmental groups cause to the environment?
Yes, that is one of the oddest deals about the whole thing.
As someone stated on another thread, it's just an excuse for the elite to get together, party and gripe about the U.S.
LOL. Anyone who's ever been to Cairo knows that that sewer dump of a city is an environmental disaster of its own Arab making. If this isn't the pot calling the kettle 'black'...
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.