BlogEvolve.com

Community leaders in Denver are studying how to implement a plan that will help divert the much feared devastation of global warming. (Links to previous articles below) Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper sees this effort as essential and is making it the central thrust of his second term in office.

Mayor Hickenlooper is one of more than 525 mayors that have signed the "U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement". Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels started this mayoral effort because of his frustration that President Bush would not sign the Kyoto protocol. The mayors will tell you it is all an effort to leave the 'era of denial' and enter the 'era of action'.

Era of Action

There is a typical pattern in the actions being proposed:

- The people of Denver will sacrifice with various fees, taxes and financial burdens.
- The people of Denver will sacrifice with limitations imposed on what they can and cannot do.
- Emissions in the Denver area will potentially be reduced.
- Money (outcome of the financial burden) will flow from the people to city government. The money itself does not decrease emissions, rather it is used as a behavior-modification tool to change people's behavior.

Amazement and Wonder!

Is it not amazing what one city can do? Denver has come up with a plan that will convert the sacrifices of individuals into emission reductions, even to the point of 4.4 million metric tons less CO2 by the year 2020. That is equivalent to shutting down two small coal-fired power plants. Imagine if 1000 cities would do this!

Back to Reality

Before we leave the thrill and wonder of Denver saving the planet, we must stop and do a reality check and try to understand the truth. In this case the truth will not make Mayor Hickenlooper look like a hero. The truth will not bring additional money into the city coffers, but the truth is undeniable.

Remember that our good friends in China were excused from the expectations of the Kyoto protocol. They did not have to stand against it, like President Bush, but were excused from the start. China is growing fast - and that includes energy demands and pollution. China is building coal fired power plants as fast as they can and they are always looking for bigger and better sources of coal. China is building coal-fired power plants at a rate of one to two per week. Global warming is a global issue and the last time I checked, China was on the same globe Denver is.

What does it mean?

Quite simply, in a period of two weeks, China will totally undo the benefit that could possibly be achieved by the Hickenlooper Climate Action Plan over the next 12 years.

You must see this perspective: in a period of two weeks China will totally undo the benefit that could possibly be achieved by 12 years of effort under the Hickenlooper Climate Action Plan. Whether you believe in global warming or not, whether you believe that man is the principle cause of global warming or not, if you live in Denver, you will make the sacrifices and the net result will be absolutely no measurable improvement in the global climate.

Even a thousand cities the size of Denver can barely make a noticeable dent in the CO2 in the atmosphere. Even if they could, China and India would replace those greenhouse gases in no time.

It is really time for the citizens of those 525 cities to demand that their mayors justify these 'Climate Action Plans' before putting them in place. People absolutely do not need any more taxes, financial burdens or government control of their lives. To place such a burden on the people in the name of global warming is a crime when you see that it will not do anything to impact greenhouse gases and global warming.

For the many government leaders looking for more money and control:

THIS IS THE INCONVENIENT TRUTH

djbtol

Hickenlooper

Hickenlooper - The Plan

Bookmark/Search this post with:
| | | | | | | | | | |