Baird SUCKS in Bali;Canada An International Joke

Fossil of the Day--and Year!

Third place goes to the UNITED STATES and JAPAN The USA and Japan win the third-place fossil nod (or, rather, disapproving head-shake) for their insistence—right through the night of the 13th—on keeping the range of 2020 emissions cuts for developed countries out of the Bali road map. It appears the US and Japan want a road map to nowhere. Coal for them!

Second place goes to THE UNITED STATES of AMERICA

The United States grabs a richly deserved second place fossil for behaving, over the last day, as though it were on another planet. Specifically: James Connoughton, chairman of President Bush’s Council on Environmental Quality, announced yesterday that “The US will lead, and we will continue to lead, but leadership also requires others to fall in line and follow.” And how did the US try to lead last night? By trying to scrap the Kyoto Protocol, proposing that the US be held to the same requirements as a developing country. The Bush administration, sadly, is showing no signs of developing.

Dishonourable mention: AUSTRALIA’S DELEGATION

Australia’s delegation to the summit receives a dishonourable mention tonight for their behavior throughout the last two weeks—doing a terrible job of representing an Australian public that clearly voted for vastly stronger action to confront climate change. Is it any surprise that many delegation members are holdovers from the Howard government? Time for some fresh faces, Australia—we don’t want to have to tap your coal supplies for next year’s Fossil Awards!

First place goes to CANADA

Canada scorches its way to the final first-place Fossil dishonours for its performance at the last two “Friends of the Chair” minister-level negotiation sessions—specifically, for NOT SHOWING UP. Environment Minister Baird is apparently so busy at the climate change negotiations that he can’t be bothered to do any climate change negotiating. It’s just the fate of the planet in the balance, after all.

Which brings us to the Fossil of the Year—the one, the only, the legendary COLOSSAL FOSSIL.

And the winner? A TIE! The United States, long-time champion—and Canada, behaving like a 51st State in George W. Bush’s America! Stephen Harper, congratulations—you’ve matched the master, and isolated Canada from the rest of the world by recklessly blocking progress in the fight against climate change. Your prize? A year’s supply of shame.