From the AP:
A goal of the Poznan talks is to produce a “shared vision” on 2050 targets on greenhouse gas emissions, to guide negotiations leading to the critical Copenhagen conference next December.
But Alden Meyer of the Union of Concerned Scientists said he doesn’t believe a shared vision will emerge in Poznan because the Bush administration “refuses to put any target on the table for 2020.”
Meyer said wealthy industrial countries need to slash emissions, transfer green technology to developing countries and provide funding to help them adapt now to the climate changes already under way, such as rising sea levels and harsher weather patterns.
“That’s the shared vision,” Meyer said. “The reason we can’t get it is because the Bush administration has refused to put on the table any meaningful target and any meaningful financial package from the U.S.”
Most striking from these statements is Meyer’s assertion that the United States should transfer wealth to developing countries to help them “adapt to the climate changes already under way.” It is my sincere hope that the United States continues to resist this and other proposed measures from the Summit. There are so many reasons why this type of policy is outrageous, but I will just state the most obvious. The United States is one of the most generous nations in terms of various forms of foreign aid, from combating AIDS to assisting countries dealing with a natural disaster, and we should hardly be expected to pour additional funds into countries who are merely dealing with the reality of their geographic location.