U.N. Climate Summit Leaves Large Carbon Footprint

(AP)

To hear world leaders and others addressing the United Nations Summit on Climate Change, the threat could not be more real and the need more urgent to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.

But in stark contrast to the earnest statements is the carbon footprint associated with their gathering.

It happens every autumn: midtown Manhattan becomes the motorcade capital of the world. Each foreign leader in town has a convoy of vehicles. Some of them, like President Obama's motorcade, are 20-to-30 vehicles in length. It's so long - it seems that when the front of it reaches the U.N., the back end is still back at his hotel.

Exacerbating the annual exercise in diplomatic gridlock are police actions, blocking intersections and closing streets for security to facilitate motorcade movements. It renders countless other vehicles immobile while waiting for motorcades to pass, their engines idling but still blowing exhaust into the midtown air

Does it undermine the goal of the climate change summit and cause the pledges of environmental concern to ring hollow?

Asked about it, White House climate change negotiator Todd Sterns had a suggestion.

"I think the U.N. should make a pledge to electric vehicle motorcades within five years," he said.

Right. As soon as all U.N. diplomats pay their parking tickets.

Obama: It's "New Era" on Climate Change Policy
Obama's U.N. Debut: A Dizzying Agenda

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(CBS)

Mark Knoller is a CBS News White House correspondent. You can read more of his posts in Hotsheet here. You can also follow him on Twitter here: http://twitter.com/markknoller.

[parisdakar]

Another reason not to live in Manhattan.

[noloyalisti]

Al Gore spends lots of fuel flying around the world trying to talk sense into the wacko religious freaks (the "free' market corporatists are not much better and may be the same group of nuts).

But someone has to do it to convince the brainless right wingers about science and reality. Check out the RATES of temp change compared to normal geologic time. End of fake "debate"!

[noloyalisti]

Anyone who is still ignorant enough to deny global climate change being inflicted by man need only look at the RATES at which these changes are coming compared to normal climatic changes.

The only real bozos who deny this follow some kind of extreme wacko Christian rhetoric that says God will take care of everything. When the rapture comes can I have your car?

[noloyalisti]

This article is so infantile as to be embarrassing. It's like the ridiculous brainless argument against the Sierra Club advocating saving gasoline because they drive cars too.

And these right winger continue to embarrass themselves by denying scientific observations. Must be the religion that beats your head like an empty drum.

[xt43w8x]

Haven't these goofballs ever hear of teleconferencing like go to meeting .com .Then they could just stay in their million dollar mansions and have the hired help continue to shine their shoes while they decide what's good for us little people lol

[benmurphynyc]

Does it undermine the goal of the climate change summit and cause the pledges of environmental concern to ring hollow?

On the LSAT this is called a source argument and it's deemed invalid. Just because world leaders have security needs that increase their carbon footprint does not invalidate their argument that carbon should be reduced.

[democracy1]

Thank you for injecting some reason here.

[angushopper]

The real story here has been entirely missed: Awash in the endless sea of vacuous, brain-dead celebrities attending this lovefest is one Fran Drescher, aka "The Nanny." Now it would be impolite to point out her current employment status but suffice to say she has not been in the limelight since the prior democrat regime. This brings us to Bill Clinton; given his proclivites toward overweight Jewish women, isn't this a bit curious?

[lastact]

I can buy any opinion I want.
Facts are hard to determine but it is a lot of fun to watch the end of the world group.
The UN is not seeking to solve any problem. They are looking to replace G-D, power of life and death over you.

[Glubber]

I'll agree to ANY global warming/change deal IF:

1. China agrees to it,
2. India agrees to it,

We have TWO of the most expanding and up and coming countries that will eventually SURPASS for emissions, OPTING out?

That's like playing a football game and one team agreeing to only play with EIGHT players!!

Don't ANY of you LIBS think it is ironic that China talks about the U.S. global emissions and points the finger at us, but doesn't talk how they are polluting? For GOODNESS sakes, it wasn't that long ago that China had to SHUT down it's industries for the Olympic games to REDUCE smog!

[AMT_79]

Global warming is a scam!
http://globaltyranny.tk