Copenhagen: Two of the world’s two most radical Presidents on Wednesday shook up the Copenhagen climate change summit by blaming climate change squarely on Capitalism and demanding billions of dollars in “reparations” from rich countries.
Bolivian President Evo Morales called on world leaders to raise their ambitions radically and hold temperature increases over the next century to just 1°C. In the most ambitious statement yet made at the climate summit, Mr. Morales demanded rich countries pay climate change reparations and proposed an international climate court of justice to prosecute countries for climate “crimes”.
“Our objective is to save humanity and not just half of humanity. We are here to save mother earth. Our objective is to reduce climate change to [under] 1°C. [Above this] many islands will disappear and Africa will suffer a holocaust,” he said. Limiting warming to 1°C would need an end to all emissions and billions of tonnes of carbon dioxide to be sucked from the air and stored.
Echoing the former Cuban President, Fidel Castro, 18 years ago at the earth summit in Rio, Mr. Morales blamed Capitalism squarely for climate change: “Capitalism wants to address climate change with carbon markets. We denounce those markets and the countries which [promote them]. It’s time to stop making money from the disgrace that they have perpetrated.”
Mr. Morales was followed by fellow radical President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela who said Socialism was the only way to save the planet and reduce climate change.
“The total income of the 500 richest people in the world is greater than the 450 million poorest living on $2 a day. We have to change direction. How long are we going to tolerate the current international economic order, and allow the hungry not to have food?” he said. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2009
