UN Climate Panel to Discuss Global Warming at Tropical Resort

Here's an amazingly inconvenient truth: the upcoming United Nations Climate Change Conference is being held at the Bali International Convention Centre, "a truly beautiful tropical island paradise...home to the island's most luxurious hotel and resort."

If these folks hate hot temperatures so much, why aren't they meeting somewhere in Greenland where the bogeyman known as manmade global warming can supposedly best be observed?

As this event - scheduled for almost a full two weeks between December third and fourteenth - nears, it seems a metaphysical certitude media won't be discussing the hypocrisy involved in the marvelous climate to be enjoyed by the participants.

Maybe more important, press representatives are almost guaranteed to ignore the amount of carbon dioxide needlessly expelled by all the plane flights that might not have occurred if the meeting was held at UN headquarters in New York, as well as the expense to taxpayers as deliciously pointed out by Claudia Rosett (emphasis added throughout, h/t Glenn Reynolds):

The would-be regulators of the world's climate (and your wallet) will be jetting to Bali this December for Ban Ki-Moon's next UN weather fest: "UN Climate Change Conference 2007." UN policy allows even the lowlier UN staffers to travel business class on long-haul flights (your tax dollars at work), the better to arrive wined, dined and ready to hit the ground ...and the beaches ... and the golf courses ... and the tennis courts - running.


There, undistracted by the winter winds whipping past the UN's NY headquarters (now prepping for a $2 billion renovation), they will discuss the many ways in which the UN can collect fees and fund more conferences via taxes and productivity caps administered by the same UN system which refuses to open its own books to the public (where is that full and transparent accounting we were promised for the tsunami donations?).

Recall that the UN apparently rebuffed out of hand a recent invitation from Canada to move its headquarters north. One might just wonder - would "climate change," be such an urgent UN issue were UN bureaucrats required to hold their meetings without availing themselves quite so amply of other people's money to enjoy their own convenient change of climate.

Highly doubtful, Claudia. Also guaranteed to be ignored is the cost of the facilities, as well as the fun attendees are destined to have, as a quick review of the conference guide indicates the most expensive rooms available cost $1,500 a day.


Those interested in furthering their entertainment pleasure should answer the following fun-packed question posed by Rosett:

Quick Multiple Choice Quiz on the UN system: Will the UN release for the perusal of Joe-average taxpayer a detailed post-conference breakdown of staff expense accounts for Ban's bash on Bali?

A. Ha

B. Ha-ha

C. You've got to be kidding

D. In order to operate, the UN must preserve its confidentiality in such matters. Tennis, anyone?

Another question: does anybody believe that while this event is going on, media will be reporting any of this hypocrisy?

Yes, that was indeed rhetorical.

Noel Sheppard
Noel Sheppard