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Bolivia Holds U.S. to 'Polluter Pays' Principle at Copenhagen

  • Dec 11, 2009
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change Todd Stern  

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change Todd Stern.

The U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change Todd Stern said in a press conference on Dec. 10: "We absolutely recognize our historic role in putting emissions in the atmosphere up there that are there now. But the sense of guilt or culpability or reparations - I just categorically reject that."

In response, Pablo Solon, Bolivia's ambassador to the United Nations said, "Admitting responsibility for the climate crisis without taking necessary actions to address it is like someone burning your house and then refusing to pay for it. Even if the fire was not started on purpose, the industrialized countries, through their inaction, have continued to add fuel to the fire. As a result they have used up two-thirds of the atmospheric space, depriving us of the necessary space for our development and provoking a climate crisis of huge proportions.


"It is entirely unjustifiable that countries like Bolivia are now forced to pay for the crisis. This creates a huge draw on our limited resources to protect our people from a crisis created by the rich and their over-consumption.

"In Bolivia we are facing a crisis we had no role in causing. Our glaciers dwindle, droughts become ever more common, and water supplies are drying up. Who should address this? To us it seems only right that the polluter should pay, and not the poor."

"We are not assigning guilt, merely responsibility. As they say in the U.S., if you break it, you buy it."


Comments

Wed, Apr 13, 2011 sheralroh portland, oregon

I agree with Jim in Georgia. We can't even take care of our own citizens, why should the United States take on the task of taking care of every other country;'s citizens. This action drives me insane, especially when I hear about our soldiers dying in those countries. It makes me more crazy when we can't even balance the budget and we have hungry jobless people living on our shores.... Oh God, don't get me started.

Thu, Apr 7, 2011

You realize that the West receives FAR more in debt repayment from the global south than it gives in so called 'aid', right? Most of which is tied aid, which means it comes right back to the american economy (You can have x amount of money, but only if you use it to buy american goods and destroy your local economy and provide what is essentially slave labour and give unheeded access to your environment to us). Watch this and educate before you spread ignorance on the internet again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daOAeB-zIIA

Thu, Dec 17, 2009 Straightpath1

This will expand upon my earlier post. The United States has always been a very generous country. We have given away billions in aid to many countries, and have rebuilt many countries after devastating wars, not to occupy and conquer, but to hand control back to its citizens. This is part of our national character, and makes the United States a unique country. These efforts are part of our history, and must be part of our future. Helping the poor, the indigent, the oppressed must continue. However, we must use wisdom to know when we are helping the citizens of a devastated area rebuild, and when we are feeding tyrants, and feeding enemies of our republic. Helping other countries which have shown friendship to us in environmental areas, in developing clean water, waste treatment, and healthy cities is a good use of our talent.

Thu, Dec 17, 2009

It is foolish to "feed your enemies" with dollars so they can attack you more viciously; it is foolish to accept popular ideas without rigorous examination; it is foolish to follow the crowd over a cliff. Just because one is dedicated to protecting the environment does not mean one has to buy into a "groupthink" process. Think for yourselves, please.

Thu, Dec 17, 2009 Straightpath1

Standard propaganda tools are labeling, namecalling, and discrediting opponents, so that there can be no debate of ideas. Those of us who are rational and scientific know these tricks, know that they have been use by dictators and corrupt politicians throughout history to influence the weak minded, and know that exposing these tools will allow intelligent and insightful readers to make their own decisions.

Thu, Dec 17, 2009 jim stafford georgia

Foreign aid is like welfare, a cancer that grows bigger. These people suffer from the same sickness. They always whine that it is someone else's fault and they cannot make it without more help. People have the same weakness as any other animal. If you throw out a few meals to a dog, he will sit and wait for for you to throw out another one instead of being responsible for his own survival. He will then whine that he needs more. This can only get worse.

Thu, Dec 17, 2009

Sure, stop all involvement in foreign affairs, including global warming. better yet, all you ignorant conservatives should branch off and start your own country, where, I'll wager, you will end up with one fat conservative who has muscled out and killed off the rest of you.

Tue, Dec 15, 2009

Until developing, third world, and existing industrialized nations have repaid the indebtness owed to the United States for foreign aid, regardless of the cause for such indebtedness, they have no legitimacy or claim to expect the United States to be held accountable for financial impacts on the global environment. I say no more grants or loans for any purpose. Let the United States utilize funds repaid by such debtor nations to rectify the alleged world wide degradation of the environment. With this in mind, perhaps Mr. Solon's and others opinions would rapidly change.

Mon, Dec 14, 2009

The United States has long been the largest provider of foreign aid in the world, including aid to Bolivia. Despite that aid, every country seems to be turning on the U.S. as they sense national weakness, and as they try to get a piece of the action. The United States should immediately cancel all foreign aid, except to those countries who support us. We are a nation in extreme debt. Only a fool or a thief would ask such a nation to pay. All adverse foreign agreements should be rejected. America is going down, and the current leadership is heading the charge.

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