CFACT kills UN's International Climate Court

By CFACT - December 12, 2011

CFACT promised to attend COP17 [the latest UN Climate Conference held in Durban] on on your behalf as a vigilant watchdog, to protect your freedoms from overzealous UN bureaucrats. In the final days of the conference, we did just that by defeating a nascent plan to impose an "International Climate Court of Justice" on America and the rest of the developed world.

Late last week, CFACT became aware that a long list of radical ideas -- including the Climate Court, 'Rights of Mother Earth,' and other Green favorites -- were part of the draft final agreement the UN was working towards in Durban. Recognizing the danger of allowing such radical ideas to be codified and agreed to by the U.S. and the rest of the world, CFACT broke the story early Friday morning on Climate Depot with Lord Monckton's exclusive special report.

The story spread like wildfire, getting picked up by Fox News, Drudge (via Infowars), and many others.

We caught the UN off-guard, as they don't expect anyone to actually report on the substance of the negotiations. They rely on the media to coddle them with adulatory coverage that repeats the party line. With their true agenda exposed to the world, they quietly removed the International Climate Court from the working documents. In other words, they turned tail and ran.

Overtime

After going into 36 hours of overtime, COP17 became the the longest climate conference in history.
India was the last big holdout. "Am I to write a blank check and sign away the livelihoods and sustainability of 1.2 billion Indians?” asked India's Environment Minister Jayanthi Natarajan. Just when it seemed there would be a hung conference, South Africa's foreign minister called a “huddle” and ten minutes later the language India had fought for to protect its progress was replaced by Brazil with the words, “an agreed outcome with legal force,” which is last minute UN speak for “binding agreement.” At 3:30 AM the Durban roadmap entitled “The Durban Platform for Enhanced Action” was agreed to and the U.S., China and India were locked in.

So what did Obama and the rest agree to?

CFACT told you at the beginning and we remind you now. If you want to understand the genuine threat posed by the UN climate process – follow the money.

The Kyoto protocol winds down in 2012. Its demise would be an end for the carbon targets which provide the muscle behind massive guarantees and subsidies to alternative energy investors, An end to Kyoto's carbon trading markets would deny a fortune to “carbon traders” and send them out in search of gainful employ. An end to the green climate fund and the REDD agreement would mean a lean Christmans for a host of slick western middlemen and developing nation bureaucrats counting who feel entitled to your tax dollars.

The UN's Durban agreement keeps the money flowing to the climatecrats and profiteers and even if you accept the UN's position on climate science (which CFACT strenuously challenges) does nothing for the climate. No one credibly believes that the massive transfer of wealth that the delegates in Durban pledged to continue will alter the world's thermostat in any meaningful way.

So the money game goes on.

The rest is far more nebulous.

The Durban agreement calls for a full treaty by 2015 to come into force by 2018

The principal American objection in past conferences was that the developing world refused to agree to carbon restrictions on its own industry. The future treaty is supposed to include carbon restrctions for all, though the developing nations would face no meaningful restrictions before 2020. Considering the wealth China and manufacturing edge has amassed in the last eight years, it now has eight more years to cement its position.

The “green climate fund's” $100 billion per year in redistribution to developing nations remained in the agreement, but the funding mechanism did not. Two proposals, both devastating to America and its allies were put forward and both could come back to haunt us. The first would place a tax on every foreign currency transaction in the world. The second would place a huge tariff on international shipping. These can both be seen as ways to get around a U.S. Congress which is not about to vote for a massive handout to the UN. Keep a close eye here. Finding a creative way to get us to pay for the green climate fund will be a major UN goal over the days and months ahead.

So long as there are billions being made on it, the international global warming industry will not go away. Chief U.S. climate negotiator Todd Stern conceded that, “there is plenty the U.S. is not thrilled about.” That is an understatement.

CFACT is the preeminent organization challenging global warming orthodoxy at the UN. We remain your eyes, ears and voice at these crucial negotiations. The Durban agreement underscores the dire threat this process poses to our freedom and prosperity. The forces of global warming could not get a treaty in Durban, but they kept their money. They'll keep trying to come back for more. We must counter them every step of the way. CFACT stands ready.

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P.S. Greenpeace staged an occupy Durban protest in the hallway outside the plenary session and got kicked out of the conference. In contrast, CFACT parachuted (literally) into Durban with a tough message about Climategate 2.0. We boldly spread our banner (literally) 20 feet across our UN press conference. Unlike Greenpeace, however, we did our homework and got all our permits lined up. CFACT played by the rules and could not be stopped. Greenpeace went lawless and paid the price. Like the broken clock that is right twice a day, even the UN occasionally gets it right!

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David Rothbard is president of the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow. Craig Rucker is CFACT's executive director.
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