COP Conferences have real life consequences for you. Such as heat, impoverishment, carbon taxes and any of the other 400 climate policies the federal government has imposed as part of its strategy of fighting climate change.Indeed, there's a COP conference starting in Dubai, next week (November 30) and yes, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will go there to report on all the 'good' he's doing to Canadians to reduce carbon emissions“COP” stands for “Conference of the Parties” — the countries that signed on to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1994, an outcome of the Rio Conference of 1992. The UNFCCC defined human influence on climate as “dangerous” and thus pinned the blame for climate change on people. Nations promised to reduce emissions at COPs for the past 28 years. However, emissions have since risen more than 60% — even during lockdowns.COP28’s website claims “COP28 UAE will be a milestone moment when the world will take stock of its progress on the Paris Agreement.”“Progress” on the Paris Agreement? As Naomi Klein wrote: “Even Yvo de Boer, who held the UN’s top climate position until 2009, remarked recently that 'the only way (negotiators) can achieve a 2º goal is to shut down the whole global economy.'”Many climate activists think COVID lockdowns helped.Though lockdowns thrilled the World Economic Forum, which claimed “lockdowns are improving cities around the world” and who want to see more lockdowns, in fact the actual drop in carbon dioxide concentrations was negligible and far outweighed by natural fluctuations.The Paris Agreement was struck in Paris in 2015 and this time, the signatories agreed for sure they would reduce emissions to keep the world below the target of 1.5-degree C warming (over pre-industrial time.) The voluntary, non-binding agreement is premised on the theory carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as methane drive global warming. Thus, by reducing GHGs, the global warming will stop. It’s important to note two things. One: The 1.5 degree C target is a political, not a scientific target. Two: There is another definition of climate change — the scientific one, which does not lay the exclusive blame on humans or GHGs. Climate policy analyst Roger Pielke, Jr. has written a paper about the problem of “Misdefining Climate Change: Consequences for Climate and Action.”COP28’s notes for editors reads:• COP28 UAE will take place at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023. The Conference is expected to convene more than 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth and non-state actors.• As mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, COP28 UAE will deliver the first ever Global Stocktake — a comprehensive evaluation of progress against climate goals.•The UAE will lead a process for all parties to agree upon a clear roadmap to accelerate progress through a pragmatic global energy transition and a “leave no one behind” approach to inclusive climate action.”•The Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum is COP28’s private sector engagement platform to convene and engage business leaders and philanthropists from around the world.Don’t feel bad if you didn’t know what 'COP' means — neither did Catherine McKenna when she went to COP-21 in Paris in 2015 and signed off on Canada trying to meet ridiculous climate targets.As she told the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on March 9 2017:“So, when I took this job I immediately went to the climate negotiations. I actually didn’t know about the climate file. I had to figure out what a 'COP' was. What is this COP? Many people had been to more than one COP, 13, 14 COPs. I got there, dug in and we were able to get the very ambitious climate agreement but then the rubber had to hit the road here….” Imagine knowing nothing on the climate file and overnight negotiating a “very ambitious climate agreement.”McKenna, in a CBC interview with Rosie Barton claimed the Pacific Island nations were sinking, so this stringent (political) target of 1.5 degree Celsius was essential. But the scientific evidence shows that most Pacific Islands are growing. The people who are sinking are Canadians, as our climate obsessed federal government feeds green cronies at the trough of public funds, starves taxpayers of services and robs them of personal dignity.Michelle Stirling is Communications Manager for Friends of Science Society
COP Conferences have real life consequences for you. Such as heat, impoverishment, carbon taxes and any of the other 400 climate policies the federal government has imposed as part of its strategy of fighting climate change.Indeed, there's a COP conference starting in Dubai, next week (November 30) and yes, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will go there to report on all the 'good' he's doing to Canadians to reduce carbon emissions“COP” stands for “Conference of the Parties” — the countries that signed on to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 1994, an outcome of the Rio Conference of 1992. The UNFCCC defined human influence on climate as “dangerous” and thus pinned the blame for climate change on people. Nations promised to reduce emissions at COPs for the past 28 years. However, emissions have since risen more than 60% — even during lockdowns.COP28’s website claims “COP28 UAE will be a milestone moment when the world will take stock of its progress on the Paris Agreement.”“Progress” on the Paris Agreement? As Naomi Klein wrote: “Even Yvo de Boer, who held the UN’s top climate position until 2009, remarked recently that 'the only way (negotiators) can achieve a 2º goal is to shut down the whole global economy.'”Many climate activists think COVID lockdowns helped.Though lockdowns thrilled the World Economic Forum, which claimed “lockdowns are improving cities around the world” and who want to see more lockdowns, in fact the actual drop in carbon dioxide concentrations was negligible and far outweighed by natural fluctuations.The Paris Agreement was struck in Paris in 2015 and this time, the signatories agreed for sure they would reduce emissions to keep the world below the target of 1.5-degree C warming (over pre-industrial time.) The voluntary, non-binding agreement is premised on the theory carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as methane drive global warming. Thus, by reducing GHGs, the global warming will stop. It’s important to note two things. One: The 1.5 degree C target is a political, not a scientific target. Two: There is another definition of climate change — the scientific one, which does not lay the exclusive blame on humans or GHGs. Climate policy analyst Roger Pielke, Jr. has written a paper about the problem of “Misdefining Climate Change: Consequences for Climate and Action.”COP28’s notes for editors reads:• COP28 UAE will take place at Expo City Dubai from November 30 to December 12, 2023. The Conference is expected to convene more than 70,000 participants, including heads of state, government officials, international industry leaders, private sector representatives, academics, experts, youth and non-state actors.• As mandated by the Paris Climate Agreement, COP28 UAE will deliver the first ever Global Stocktake — a comprehensive evaluation of progress against climate goals.•The UAE will lead a process for all parties to agree upon a clear roadmap to accelerate progress through a pragmatic global energy transition and a “leave no one behind” approach to inclusive climate action.”•The Business & Philanthropy Climate Forum is COP28’s private sector engagement platform to convene and engage business leaders and philanthropists from around the world.Don’t feel bad if you didn’t know what 'COP' means — neither did Catherine McKenna when she went to COP-21 in Paris in 2015 and signed off on Canada trying to meet ridiculous climate targets.As she told the Calgary Chamber of Commerce on March 9 2017:“So, when I took this job I immediately went to the climate negotiations. I actually didn’t know about the climate file. I had to figure out what a 'COP' was. What is this COP? Many people had been to more than one COP, 13, 14 COPs. I got there, dug in and we were able to get the very ambitious climate agreement but then the rubber had to hit the road here….” Imagine knowing nothing on the climate file and overnight negotiating a “very ambitious climate agreement.”McKenna, in a CBC interview with Rosie Barton claimed the Pacific Island nations were sinking, so this stringent (political) target of 1.5 degree Celsius was essential. But the scientific evidence shows that most Pacific Islands are growing. The people who are sinking are Canadians, as our climate obsessed federal government feeds green cronies at the trough of public funds, starves taxpayers of services and robs them of personal dignity.Michelle Stirling is Communications Manager for Friends of Science Society
