By John Parnell and Tierney Smith
President Obama chats to Energy Secretary Stephen Chu, one of the potential beneficiaries of the proposed budget.
RTCC presents the week’s climate change and sustainable development news with some choice quotes from the people making the headlines.
“Most people don’t want to believe climate change is happening in the same way as when you smoke a cigarette, you don’t want to believe it is giving you lung cancer and reducing your lifespan. It is not a message you want to hear, that your lifestyle will have to change.”
The European Union’s first chief scientific adviser, Anne Glover, who was appointed this week
“We need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by ending the subsidies for oil companies, and doubling down on clean energy that generates jobs and strengthens our security.”
President Barack Obama at the announcement of his new budget proposal
“In the principal effort necessary to reduce the effects of carbon dioxide, the world has not done enough. This scheme will support, not supplant the efforts made by the UNFCCC.”
Secretary of State Hilary Clinton on the role of the new coalition to cut methane, HFCs and soot
“Any attempts by developed countries to casually set aside their existing legal commitments while calling for a new legally binding agreement seriously questions their credibility and sincerity in responding to the climate crisis.”
The communique from the BASIC group of countries after their first post-Durban meeting
“The climate challenge illustrates how we have to change. The developing countries need more support and opportunities to develop and use clean energy. Because if the current situation continues, then the world will not be able to handle this burden.
“And that’s why the rich world has to be forthcoming to help change the patterns of development. Because in developing countries, poverty has to be overcome and energy is crucial to this and that means we need more clean energy across the world.”
Former Norwegian PM Gro Harlem Brundtland on the links between poverty, development and climate change
“Apologies: The Heartland Institute apologizes to the donors whose identities were revealed by this theft. We promise anonymity to many of our donors, and we realize that the major reason these documents were stolen and faked was to make it more difficult for donors to support our work.
“We also apologize to Heartland staff, directors, and our allies in the fight to bring sound science to the global warming debate, who have had their privacy violated and their integrity impugned.”
Statement from the Heartland Institute after the alleged leaking of fundraising documents that revealed some of its donors identities
“Leaked documents from inside one of America’s most powerful think tanks have revealed a multi-million dollar systematic disinformation campaign to cast doubt on the science of climate change.
“The explosive documents, posted on Desmogblog – a website dedicated to monitoring groups that peddle false claims about climate science –show that some of the wealthiest and most polluting corporations in the world, including General Motors, Bayer, Pfizer, GSK and Microsoft, are helping to fund the Heartland Institute.”
Greenpeace’s Joss Garman provides his take on the Heartland debacle.