The History of Carbon Emissions’ Propaganda.

It was pointed out earlier that during climate negotiations there has been a considerable change in attitudes over the Reforestation issue. Similar propaganda changes have also happened over Carbon emissions.

At the onset of climate negotiations it was commonly admitted by most scientists that the main source of greenhouse emissions was the over-industrialized world. For example, "The history of greenhouse gas emissions shows that the industrialized countries have been and continue to be by far the major source of climate destabilization ..."; "Only 18% of cumulative 1950-1986 emissions came from developing countries, compared to the 82% share of the industrialized countries." Indeed, prior to scientists warnings about global burning, many governments used Carbon emissions as evidence of economic and industrial virility - something to be quietly boasted about in the bar after the set speeches on saving the environment.

However, it wasn’t long before right wing think tanks were suggesting that the industrializing world was responsible for a far higher percentage of greenhouse emissions, "The world resources institute (wri) contends that developing countries contribute almost half the greenhouse gas emissions leading to global warming." And how, it might be asked, was it possible for eco-nazi countries to appear so environmentally sound? Quite simple - all singing and dancing statistics, "The wri’s bright idea was to apportion (oceanic) ‘sinks’ between each country .. and did this by the simple technique whereby the more a country emits, the greater the sink it is allowed." The world resources institute was one of the founding organizations of the now discredited tropical forestry action plan.

Buoyed up by the success of this bit of conmanship, yet more bogus scientists ploughed in with yet more dramatic propaganda coups. It was pointed out that within the next few decades the industrializing world would be releasing far more greenhouse emissions than the over-industrialized world, "Sooner or later the developing nations must face targets. Within 25 years, the developing nations will produce most of the global emissions." So, these right wing loons seemed to be saying, ‘Wasn’t it about time the industrializing countries started to do something about protecting the climate rather than blaming everything on the over-industrialized world?’

One commentator even found some evidence to backdate the moment when the industrializing countries had overtaken the over-industrialized world in dumping Carbon emissions into the atmosphere, "Through the 1980s the united states, the former soviet union, and europe produced slightly more than half of world carbon emissions. Projections were that the balance would not shift toward the developing nations until the 21stc. Instead this happened in 1992. That year the third world produced 52% of global carbon emissions, supplanting the first world as the greenhouse malefactor. Since 1970, third world carbon emissions have increased nearly three times a rapidly as first world emissions."

It’s amazing that for many years the over-industrialized world was quite willing to admit its virility that, during the industrial revolution, it had released billions of tonnes of pollutants into the atmosphere but, as soon as they were expected to pay for this pollution, they began arguing, ‘It never happened after all’ and then, ‘Most of the pollution must have come from the other side of the world’. Within a matter of five or six years, the industrializing countries had gone from being victims of pollution to its biggest perpetrators. It’s amazing what scientific prostitutes can do with a few ropey old factoids.