Gore, Gingrich debate the Earth's future - Taiwan News Online

"I have read all 648 pages of this bill," Gore bragged, a boast that would surprise no one who caught his teacher's-pet performance in the 2000 presidential race. "It took me two transcontinental flights on United Airlines to finish it."
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He lectured the panel on "the reality of the world today," pointing out that, "I gave my slide show to the Indian Parliament."
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Ever the history teacher, he told a story about the Viking King Canute _ Gingrich's namesake, he said _ who tried and failed to push back the ocean in an attempt to show his supporters that he was not, alas, all-powerful.

"This is a hint," Gingrich said. The bill, he added, shows "failure to learn the lesson" of King Canute _ if in fact the authors, or anyone else present, had ever before heard of Canute. (The all-knowing Gore had already left.)

The prospect of actually reducing carbon as outlined by Democrats and President Barack Obama?

"A fantasy," Gingrich declared.

AFP: New momentum for global climate pact despite 'gaps'

Brazil proposed a 10 percent tax on oil industry profits to help poor countries join the fight against global warming, he said.

The development aid charity Oxfam complained of a "first step syndrome" in climate change talks, saying the Syracuse meeting was no different.

"Lots of declarations of principle, but no clear and measurable commmitment," Oxfam said in a statement.
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US delegate Lisa Jackson said Thursday she brought a "message of hope" from US President Barack Obama, who already boasts of having made more progress on US energy policy in his first three months in office than the United States has seen in 30 years.

"It's a good feeling to know that the world is waiting to welcome the US to the table and is not too frustrated by the lack of leadership in the past," Jackson said.

The EPA chief on Friday urged stronger action to avert environmental "exposures (that) uniquely affect children."

She told the delegates: "We must work in earnest to ensure that their bright future is not overcast by the clouds of pollution, climate change and other environmental degradation."

Should we try to prevent children from breathing any air that contains greenhouse gases?