Pain and no gain

Anyone can set arbitrary targets, but meeting them (without massive cost implications and the risk of wrecking the economy) is an entirely different matter. The LGA has a catchy soundbite, ‘small change, big difference’, but the reality, in my experience, is that most small changes make a small difference. The
change from 2% to 15% of renewable energy would be a massive change, requiring immense cost.

It is now becoming clear that there is no consensus that CO2 levels are causing significant climate change. Indeed, global warming has stopped for almost a decade.

Also there is no binding international agreement to limit CO2, so for the EU to act unilaterally without firm commitment from developing countries such as India and China will cause no reduction in CO2 anyway.

All pain with no gain.

China’s Climate Change Stance

China, of course, knows this, so the only reason for publishing the provocative comments of Mr. Lin must be to counterbalance those of Professor Hu. This way China can say there are “extremist” on both sides within its negotiating camp, but it will try to adhere to a middle ground. The exact contours of that middle ground are still unclear, but they will certainly require, as even Mr. Hu acknowledges, massive “infusions of pollution-reducing technology from advanced economies” as well as cash.