Chavez disputes Spanish official's climate remarks

[Bacchus39]

Chavez disputes Spanish official's climate remarks

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091231/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_climate_venezuela_spain

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is trading barbs with Spain's environment minister over the Copenhagen summit on climate change.

Chavez objects to remarks by Spanish Environment Minister Elena Espinosa, who suggested Venezuela and Bolivia were to blame for the lack of a solid accord.

Espinosa was quoted as saying in the newspaper Publico that Chavez and Bolivian President Evo Morales opposed an accord, perhaps in defense of their oil and natural gas industries.

Chavez said Wednesday that Espinosa's contention was false and he hopes it isn't the Spanish government's opinion.

The leftist Venezuelan leader has blamed wealthy countries for the failure to agree on binding climate targets

[Braulio]

1. Well, Chavez is being practical

Venezuela's medium and light oil reserves and production are dwindling, the only thing they have left is the Faja del Orinoco, and that oil is really low quality, so it takes a lot of energy to extract it and manufacture syncrude for export (it can't be exported as it lays in the ground because it's too gooey and heavy). So it makes economic sense for Chavez to oppose a climate change treaty, if he expects Venezuela to become a large CO2 emitter.