Vice President Kamala Harris is in Dubai this week to take part in the UN's annual effort to extort money from rich countries to give to poor countries.
It's called the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC ( United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change). COP28 for short.
“Today, I am also proud to announce a new $3 billion pledge to the Green Climate Fund, which helps developing countries invest in resilience, clean energy and nature-based solutions,” Harris said Friday during a speech at the summit.
Does anyone have any idea what a "nature-based solution" to climate change might be? Wouldn't that be, like, standing aside and letting nature take its course? I'm sure that's not what it means, but that would be a capital idea.
Unfortunately, the poor countries of the world found that $3 billion contribution to the climate loss and damage fund woefully inadequate.
"The amount pledged by the United States is insulting," said Bineshi Albert, co-executive director of the Climate Justice Alliance. "It is a paltry, shameful amount of money.... By comparison, island nations have requested at least $100 billion over the first four years."
It should be noted that there are several dozen other countries that will be contributing to the loss and damage fund. So why call out the United States, which will surely be contributing at least twice as much as any other nation?
Because no one does "guilt" quite like the left in the United States. They revel in it. They glory in it. They immerse themselves in it. They rend garments and tear their hair out in an effort to atone for their nation's sins.
And, of course, this will lead to a slightly larger donation to the loss and damage fund.
The U.S. is by far the largest historic emitter of planet-heating emissions, while many countries that are already facing the worst impacts of the climate emergency, such as small Pacific island nations, shoulder the least blame for the crisis.
Albert called the $17.5 million pledged by the U.S. "a drop in the bucket compared to the annual $20.5 billion in fossil fuel subsidies handed out by the US government, which recently surged to $7 trillion in 2022."
I love how the climate hustlers phrased the U.S. contribution to "planet-heating emissions." "Largest historic emitter" conveniently leaves out the fact that China emits far more carbon pollution than any other nation.
"China accounted for 26 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions in 2022, making it the world's largest emitter that year. China's share of annual greenhouse gas emissions has doubled over the past two decades due to rapid industrialization and economic growth," according to the website Statista.
China refuses to cut its emissions on par with the industrialized West despite being a world leader in carbon pollution, citing the fact that the U.S. and Western Europe had 200 years of industrialization before they got serious about cutting emissions.
With contributions from other wealthy governments ranging from just $10 million (Japan) to $245 million (the European Union), Amnesty International climate adviser Ann Harrison said wealthy countries committed "barely enough to get the fund running, and little more."
"Billions of dollars are needed to make a substantive difference to communities in desperate need of help to rebuild homes after storms, or to support farmers when their crops are destroyed, or those permanently displaced by the climate crisis," said Harrison. "Considering the vast and excess profits accrued by fossil fuel companies last year while they continue to trash the climate, and that some the donor states today were responsible for a large proportion of historical greenhouse gas emissions, this is a disappointingly small initial sum."
As soon as the climate extortionists offer proof that a specific storm was caused by climate change or a specific drought was solely the result of a warming climate, you can start collecting damages.
Until then, STFU and sit down.
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