U.N. Deadlock on Addressing Climate Shift

[Forkboy]

UNITED NATIONS — The persistent inability of the United Nations to forge international consensus on climate change issues was on display Wednesday, as Security Council members disagreed over whether they should address possible instability provoked by problems like rising sea levels or competition over water resources.

Western powers like the United States argued that the potential effects of climate change, including the mass migrations of populations, made it a crucial issue in terms of global peace and security. Russia and China, backed by much of the developing world, rejected the notion that the issue even belonged on the Security Council agenda.

With the major powers again at loggerheads, President Marcus Stephen of Nauru traveled the nearly 8,000 miles from his tiny Pacific island state to plead for action.

Speaking on behalf of some 14 island states vulnerable to disappearing or at least losing significant territory to rising sea levels, Mr. Stephen mused aloud about how the debate might differ if larger countries were affected.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/21/world/21nations.html?_r=1

[pscot]

1. Everybody's too bothered by the heat

to pay attention.

[certainot]

2. technological innovation or alien interference is needed

[Lorien]

3. We already have the former, but political will is needed to implement it

and we probably have a better chance of gaining alien interference than getting our politicians to buck Big Oil and Big coal.