Europe Admits Inconvenient Truths: “Climate Change Has Become A Fringe Issue…Shale Gas Offers Hope”

If there ever was a sign that the issue of climate change is struggling with irrelevance in Europe, and thus has lost its global leadership force, it can be found in this candid (frustrated) view expressed in the Austrian STANDARD: “Disinterest in Climate Change” by Eric Frey.

“Despite Sandy, global warming is a fringe issue in the USA – unfortunately also for Europe.”

In the aftermath of hurricane Sandy, Europeans were quick to scorn America for its lack of interest in protecting the climate. Many blamed the storm on CO2 emissions. Europeans were angered by and indignant at the fact that the issue had not been worth mentioning once during the presidential campaign.

But as Eric Frey of the Austrian Standard writes: Europeans ought to first look at home before criticizing others abroad.

He writes:

Before Europeans express too much outrage over the Americans, they should look at what’s going on at their own doorstep instead. Also here interest in climate protection has gone lame. Euro-crisis, recession, unemployment – with such a terrible economic situation, n one is protesting on behalf of the environment. […]  Emissions trading has no teeth, as certificates cost next to nothing.

Climate protection has no lobby. Even the greens no longer consider it a core issue. […] Thus the upcoming climate conference in Qatar will achieve no progress. The price will be paid by millions of people on all continents – in New Jersey as in Africa. […] The only hope lies in a surprsing technological breakthrough. Ironically, the best news for climate protection comes from the USA: The increasing production of shale gas is replacing dirty coal and is allowing America’s CO2 emissions to fall. That may bring some relief, but it is certainly not a solution.”

There’s nothing else to add.

 

6 responses to “Europe Admits Inconvenient Truths: “Climate Change Has Become A Fringe Issue…Shale Gas Offers Hope””

  1. tckev

    “Before Europeans express too much outrage over the Americans, they should look at what’s going on at their own doorstep instead. Also here interest in climate protection has gone lame. Euro-crisis, recession, unemployment – with such a terrible economic situation, n one is protesting on behalf of the environment.”

    Warm words that do not erase the huge number of taxes and subsidies that have been put in place over the years. The market has been badly distorted to the detriment of the most efficient methods of energy production. Maintaining a cohesive policy on its production and infrastructure has been damaged.

    This climate change nonsense is a heavy costs for every citizen, every family, every employer and employed in Europe (and the USA) now and for the future.

  2. DirkH

    “The price will be paid by millions of people on all continents – in New Jersey as in Africa.”

    As to New Jersey, somebody at WUWT had this to say:
    ” Isn’t there a really old book that tells us not to build houses on sand?
    Yes there is:
    Matthew 7:25-27
    New International Version (NIV)
    25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

    Nobody would have built there without artificially cheap federal flood insurance. No private insurer would insure those shacks against a flood in that spot. That Austrian writer takes the consequences of an idiotic policy as an argument to strangle the energy production of the world.

  3. John F. Hultquist

    It appears both Pres. B. O. and would-be Pres. Mitt have bought into the CO2 thing. Surely this is not a science-based understanding but part of the guilt all “good” people are supposed to feel for being alive. They are also political types and have realized the voters in the USA are getting out in front of their “leaders.” Many folks are recognizing serious problems, once looming, are now right here in front of us like a brick wall. Thus, the Pres. does not run on his record, instead acting like Bush has been in charge for the past 4 years. Romney easily can say we need change. Neither mentions “global warming” or “climate change” because that won’t help them win votes. If B. O. gets 4 more years to wage war on coal, oil, jobs, and the economy — we will all be worse off in 4 years, and far into the future. Mitt’s agenda may differ, but we don’t know how.
    ~~~~
    Had to use a web translation to read Eric Frey’s text. He seems on a par with Hansen, Mann, and Gore. If he intends to continue to write, he should focus on real problems (clean water comes to mind; vitamin A deficiency, …). Otherwise, his following will dwindle until only his mother reads his stuff.

  4. DirkH

    News from the doomed Desertec project. As recently emerged, project partner Siemens wants to offload its solar thermal business completely.

    Now, Die Welt reports that Chinese State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) evaluates entering the project, and doomed maker of thin film PV cells First Solar.

    http://www.welt.de/newsticker/news3/article110624308/Chinesische-Energiefirma-prueft-Einstieg-in-Desertec-Stromprojekt.html

    The article mentions that SGCC has recently acquired a 25% share of Portuguese grid operator REN.

  5. Europe Admits Inconvenient Truths: “Climate Change Has Become A Fringe Issue…Shale Gas Offers Hope” | The Global Warming Policy Foundation (GWPF)

    […] No Tricks Zone, 4 November 2012 Back to top Back to Best of Blogs TOPICSUK News […]

  6. Brian H

    Neither O-fools nor EU-fools can change reality, and it will smack them into line. The Invisible Hand is not interested in or concerned about your votes. And it has diamond-hard brass knuckles.

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