Last week I posted here a notice about a Nature magazine article exposing how the UN’s “Clean Development Mechanism” (CDM)—a prototype for a global cap and trade system for greenhouse gases—was “basically a farce.” This week brings news that CDM activities have graduated from farce to homicide. From a European report:
The reported killing of 23 Honduran farmers in a dispute with the owners of UN-accredited palm oil plantations in Honduras is forcing the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) executive board to reconsider its stakeholder consultation processes. . .
But carbon credits from the plantations can still be freely traded on the EU ETS, which allows polluters to offset their carbon emissions by nominally clean energy investments.
Well, that’s a relief. At least we’re getting the carbon offsets out of this homicidal rampage. Good to know we’re saving the planet. Al Gore will be so pleased. And I love this bit:
For now, business continues as usual in Aguán and the world’s carbon markets, despite the “systemic and grave human rights violations” noted by the International Fact Finding Mission.
“If this is really a direct consequence of Europe’s climate policies then I would like to send my sincere apologies to the people of Honduras,” Bas Eickhout said.
“The CDM is supposed to be offering environmental benefits and sustainable development but these kinds of stories are really terrible. I don’t want to hear them anymore.”
Some other time I’ll deliver the necessary beatdown on the whole “stakeholder” concept that is corrupting representative democracy. For now it is enough simply to note this as one more piece of evidence (as if more were needed) of the essentially fascistic character of many environmental enthusiasms.
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