Excerpted From a September 4, 2009 article in The German Newspaper Der Spiegel. The interview was conducted by Christian Schwägerl and the article was titled: ‘Industrialized Nations Are Facing CO2 Insolvency’
Der Spiegel Excerpts: Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, the German government’s climate protection adviser, argues that drastic measures must be taken in order to prevent a catastrophe. Schellnhuber is proposing the creation of a CO2 budget for every person on the planet, regardless whether they live in Berlin or Beijing. […]
Schellnhuber: Humankind has to limit itself to emit only fixed amount of carbon into the atmosphere until 2050. […] Because the industrialized nations have already exceeded their quotas if you take into account past emissions. […] With the current output you see that Germany, the US and other industrialized nations have either already used up their permissible quota, or will do so within the next few years. […] The industrialized nations are facing CO2 insolvency. This means that they have to notch up their efforts to reduce climate change, otherwise they will use up the CO2 budget actually designated to poorer countries and future generations.
Question: So industrialized nations would have to pay massive sums of money? – Schellnhuber: Yes. Up to €100 billion ($142 billion) annually. If the richest sixth of the world’s population were to pay this amount, each person would have to pay €100 per year. The West would give back part of the wealth it has taken from the South in the past centuries and be indebted to countries that are now amongst the poorest in the world. It would, however, have to be ensured that the poorer nations use the money for the proposes it is intended — namely to help them to develop a greener economy. [End article excerpt]
Czech physicist Dr. Lubos Motl, formerly of Harvard University, reacted to Schellnhuber’s Co2 personal “budget” proposal by citing tyrannical movements of the past. “What Schellnhuber’s has just said in the interview with Der Spiegel, is just breathtaking and it helps me to understand how crazy political movements such as the Nazis or communists could have so easily taken over a nation that is as sensible as Germany,” Motl wrote on September 6, 2009. (Also see: Schellnhuber ‘once co-authored paper saying climate models are flawed and that ‘global warming is also overestimated by the models’)
Climate Depot Editor’s Note: Schellnhuber is not alone advocating these types of CO2 proposals. The movement to control personal CO2 “budgets” and impose government mandates is growing internationally. Here are a few recent examples.
2) Flashback 2008: ‘Personal carbon trading scheme’: ‘Every adult in UK should be forced to use ‘carbon ration cards’, say MPs – Excerpt: Everyone would be given an annual carbon allowance to use when buying oil, gas, electricity and flights — Anyone who exceeds their entitlement would have to buy top-up credits from individuals who haven’t used up their allowance. […] The influential Environmental Audit Committee says a personal carbon trading scheme is the best and fairest way of cutting Britain’s CO2 emissions without penalizing the poor.
3) Flashback Jan. 2009: NYT: California Seeks Home Thermostat Control – Excerpt: The conceit in the 1960s show “The Outer Limits” was that outside forces had taken control of your television set. California, state regulators are likely to have the emergency power to control individual thermostats, sending temperatures up or down through a radio-controlled device.
4) Flashback May 2009: Eco-Nanny Pelosi: ‘Every aspect of our lives must be subjected to an inventory’
6) Sept. 2009: ‘Only way to seriously reduce the human contribution of CO2 is …by utilizing full coercive power of each nation state and UN to enforce Draconian laws and regulations on lifestyles of every human being on this planet’
8) Flashback July 2009: Gore: U.S. Climate Bill Will Help Bring About ‘Global Governance’
9) UK carbon rationing to impose fines, ‘monitor employees’ emissions, home energy bills, petrol purchases and holiday flights’ – September 14, 2009 – UK Times – Excerpt: ‘Rationing being reintroduced via workplace after an absence of half a century…Employees required to submit quarterly reports detailing their consumption’
Related Links:
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon: “A climate deal must include an equitable global governance structure’ – Oct. 25, 2009, New York Times
Climate Depot OPED: ‘Controlling climate? More like controlling humans’ – October 28, 2009 – Excerpt: Beware of ‘unprecedented transfer of wealth, power and control to domestic and global governance’
