Figueres, the UN climate chief, told us repeatedly that none of the pledges were doing anything for the purpose of fixing the climate. And she told us the agreement was designed to have no teeth—she says they’re a bad idea. So just what you would expect to happen is happening. Countries are doing whatever they want, with almost no thought for the climate. It’s a disaster. Here’s the story from the Institute of Defense Studies.
For example.
- Chinese state owned companies have undertaken, and have commenced, the construction of coal-fired power plants in 27 countries across the developing world with loans from the Chinese Exim Bank.
- Beijing is in fact encouraging its state-owned firms to go out and seek projects in neighbouring countries in order to offset declining profits at home due to a glut in domestic coal-fired plants.
- West European countries are cutting down on coal consumption, their eastern counterparts, in what is being alluded to as a new “coal curtain”, are increasing both output and consumption.
- But after pledging to close down its nuclear reactors by 2022, [Germany] may have to depend on coal, which provides more than a fourth of its electricity, for filling the gap vacated by nuclear energy.
- [India will] not only double its coal output by 2020 but would also continue to rely on coal for decades thereafter due to its abundant reserves of the resource and because it is the cheapest source of energy.