Speaking in Poznan, Poland, in conjunction with the UN climate talks there--the last big round before the follow-up to the Kyoto Protocol needs to be finalized in Copenhagen, Denmark at the end of next year--Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the Nobel-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said "It seems very strange, what has happened in the past two or three months."
"It defies any kind of logic, if you look at the type of money that the world has spent on these [financial] bailouts, 2.7 trillion dollars (2.13 trillion euros) is the estimate, and it's been done so quickly and without questioning."
Pachauri recalled that when the Millennium Development Goals for attacking poverty and sickness were being drawn up, a panel chaired by Ernesto Zedillo, the former president of Mexico, suggested "a fairly modest estimate" of 50 billion dollars a year in help for poor countries.
"But everyone scoffed at it. Nobody did a damn thing," Pachauri said in the interview on Monday.
Pachauri's comments echoed those of many others involved in the process, such as Denmark's chief negotiator:
""The U.S. is key to unlocking this situation — that everybody is waiting for everybody....This is a question of political will," Becker said...citing the recent federal bailout of beleaguered U.S. financial firms. "You can overnight find $700 billion to pump into the financial sector. Of course it’s possible."
Pachauri is looking to set up a meeting with President-elect Barack Obama.
"If I can get 10 minutes with him, that's all I'll need."
What do you think is the most effective way to let the transition team know you think Pachauri should get his 10 (or even 15) minutes, ASAP?
Change.gov just held its first open community conversation, on health care.
When Change.gov does a Wordle discussion on climate/energy, what should the word cloud end up looking like?
How large will the font be for "justice", "solidarity", "community", and "peace"?