First They Came For the “Climate Criminals”…

by Christopher C. Horner

I have had the pleasure of Greenpeace taking my trash every Sunday night after I put it out — the contents winding up in staged “stories” in outlets like Deutsche Welle, the Independent, El Pais and Old Red herself, the Guardian, whose reporters never even called before cobbling unrelated offal together to spin their yarn. Not content to address the issues when old fashioned (if lame) intimidation efforts were handy, the green machine have also labored over breathless press releases announcing with whom they’ve seen me dine, and plastered the walls and leafleted Kyoto negotiating conferences with my mug as a “climate criminal”. As I detailed in Red Hot Lies, that’s child’s play compared with the death threats and attempts on scientists’ lives when they dare push back against The New Red that is Big Green.

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So naturally, when I see an email touting a “tribunal”, in Spanish though it may have been, I look closer. Courtesy of a translating software and a little cleanup work, here’s today’s missive from Friends of the Earth International. When reading it, recall how the International Criminal Court was hailed by academics and even our then-president as an environmental treaty. Recall how we are poised to ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty which despite its name purports to regulate land-based sources such as transport and electricity generation, just like Kyoto except that it has its own court, one that has already shown its willingness to go rogue and set its jurisdiction ad hoc.

Then recall the poem commonly attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller, and wonder if you, too, might be the sort of criminal our woolly green friends are on the lookout for, even if you don’t yet know it. But don’t worry, past threats on the lives of “skeptic” scientists aside, it’s only “moral punishment” they seek to mete out. What that means, to be determined later:

NOTICE TO THE PRESS
Friends of the Earth International
October 14, 2009
First International Court of Justice Climate

Cochabamba, Bolivia, 14 October 2009 – With the aim of identifying and morally punish[ing] those who violate the environment, this 13 and 14, held the First International Audience Climate Justice in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and it is intended that the UN continue that work.

This initiative comes to the search for compromises and solutions world governments have not been able to achieve against Change Climate.

The initiative seeks to influence institutions like the Organization of the UN to step in the formation of courts  consider the crimes related to climate change, plus explore options for preserving the environment.

The court has received reports of at least ten people and nations indigenous descent, peasant movements and fishermen, Peru, Colombia, El Salvador, Brazil and Bolivia to be argued in hearings and reviewed by a panel of recognized social and environmental activists, including ecologist Richard Navarro, representing Friends of the Earth International.

“Rich countries must dramatically reduce their OWN greenhouse gas emissions already. That is the first step towards climate justice. Besides climatic and ecological debt must be recognized and paid. False solutions such as agrofuels are [NB: not?] acceptable,” according to Irene CENSAT Velez de Agua Viva (Friends of the Earth Colombia) and co-Coordinate of the Climate Justice Program of Friends of the Earth International.

The First International Climate Justice Court is also the result of an initiative to make Bolivian President Evo Morales, last September in a United Nations conference, in which proposed the establishment of a tribunal against the change climate, as permanent investigative body to governments and companies that pollute the environment.

The government of Evo Morales has shown a strong stance in defense of environment and Mother Earth and their negotiating positions United Nations on climate change have been very constructive, according to Friends of the Earth International.


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Posted Oct 14th 2009 at 9:15 am in Culture, Environment, Justice/Legal, Politics | 61 Comments