Yep, I checked yesterday and posted on Gary Younge's powerful indictment of US Republican "Frat Boys" and discovered that my ban is at an end and I am now allowed to comment at the Guardian but under (heavy) moderation — so says the vivid red message in the comment window when I posted.
This goes back to last year when I tried to post on the Guardian's hysterical attack on the Chinese at Copenhagen following the exposé that America and other rich nations were hijacking the climate change summit as revealed in the leaked Danish Text. During this period of obfuscation, diversion and a lot of smoke and mirrors, journos at the Guardian accused CiF posters with Chinese sounding names who attempted to inject a few facts into the debate (such as it was) of being five-yuan a time tarts for the Chinese government. Because it's well known that we have no integrity or political conviction. And in the Independent, Tony Juniper of Friends Of The Earth felt emboldened enough to call the Chinese "inscrutable", a hoary colonialist term I'd thought disappeared with the Empire and Sax Rohmer.
How satisfying, then, to see today's Guardian reporting the Indian Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh's statement that Copenhagen was destroyed by the Danish draft leak.
Dismissing Britain's attempt to blame China for the disappointment of Copenhagen, the Indian minister said the outcome was determined by a failed "ambush", targeted at the leaders of emerging economies, by the host nation Denmark. This attempted to switch a new negotiating text for the existing UN texts.
"The Danish draft was circulated at the beginning of the conference, which got mysteriously leaked to the Guardian. That completely destroyed trust. It was the leak of the Danish draft that destroyed Copenhagen from day one," said Ramesh, at a sustainable growth forum in Hainan.
This isn't to say that China is incapable of pulling stunts when it needs to, but that it still has a lot to learn from the British Foreign Office and its friends when it comes to manipulation.
One question remaining to be answered: considering Britain invented low-carbon coal burning technology and we're signed up to the Kyoto Protocol, why is China able to build 80 percent carbon-capture power stations at the rate of one a month, and we don't even have a single one? [EDIT: New York Times says current highest efficiency is 44 percent.]
UPDATE: China announces world's largest solar plant. Hat -tip James Mackenzie
UPDATE 2: Almost a month later (7th May), the Guardian comes up with a carefully constructed rebuttal. Very interesting watching the spinning on this subject.
India's Environment Minister, Jairam RameshGuardian admits China's green plans leave US red-faced.
10 comments:
Well said MM more power to you and your pen!I hope you continue to write articles and responses that make people so uncomfortable that their only recourse is to "ban" you. Not that I want to see you gagged but you know what I mean, I hope. Yes why is it that here in the UK we cannot put our money where our mouth is?
Free at last, free at last, good God a'mighty, free at last!
(Comment, that is ...)
Well said!
Europe, Canada, Australia and of course US of A have had total control of the world economy, world politics and various meetings/organizations related to either of the topics for far too long.... they are having a little fit about loosing some of that power to the emerging world. Namely to China.
I am not one that believes that one nation will do better job then the other. I do not believe Chinese government is better or will do a fairer job of distributing wealth if it was the top dog however, I also strongly believe if there was more east vs west balance in the world, it would be a fairer place to live for those who do not belong to the white European race...
So in short I am glad there is an Eastern Power raising counter to the West. I just do NOT hope one day both powers will merge and destroy the hell out of Africa and any other poor nations....
I am quite floored by this and the previous posting and don’t feel I can make any contribution at all. I read that Frat Boys article and felt so depressed and uneasy I wished I hadn’t. I am sending you a web address instead to cheer you up. Two years ago eight talented young artists from China came on an exchange visit to Wales for several months. My daughter was lucky enough to be involved in some of the filming of this visit. My favourite artist was called Yin Shuang Gyi and she made sculptures of sheep with grass - these are delightful and were very appreciated in Wales as you can imagine. Here is the web address:
http://www.wai.org.uk/index.cfm?UUID=83F48BA4-65BF-7E43-3DE8A7B9569322F6
You are a gift to political discourse - please keep on posting. I am one of your cheerleaders!
Thank you so much, guys. I am touched.
I watched the first video clip, AVBK. Really good to see young Chinese and Brits sharing their art. I'm a Portmeirion fan and love the big landscape of Wales.
Nevin, I hope the Chinese help the African people use their own resources. Certainly, they've helped build infrastructure and have never fired a shot. But the wealth has to get through to the people and not just the ruling elites. I'm hoping they never create a situation such as we had with apartheid or the mess the oil companies have left in Nigeria. That would be a massive betrayal. China MUST do better than Europe did in Africa.
Jairam Ramesh, huh? I thought it was the aging Michael Douglas reprising his role as Gordon Gekko.
Any chance of a citation for the 80% carbon capture plants, please? My understanding is it's untested and undemonstrated technology.
Hi James, I found this item in the New York Times which cites construction of these stations being built in China at the rate of one a month but I can't find the figure of 80 per cent.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/11/world/asia/11coal.html?_r=1
Thanks for flagging this up. Until I can find where I read that figure, I'm going to do an edit on my article. The point is that China is using green technology where we Brits are emitting hot air only.
Hi MM, thanks for that (and congrats!). The technologies there are typically sulphur scrubbers which do nothing to tackle climate change. They're great for acid rain, but unhelpfully sulphur acts against climate change.
If you want to give China credit on clean energy I'd stay away from coal altogether - neither we nor they should do another tonne of mass-burn coal.
I'd go for this kind of thing instead..
James
http://www.inhabitat.com/2009/01/06/china-announces-worlds-largest-solar-plant/
Many thanks, James. I've added that link as an update to the piece and credited you.
Your knowledge on these matters much appreciated.
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