Saturday, 6 December 2008 - IETA has the biggest representation in Poznan with 254 lobbyists registered in the official (provisional) participants' list under the category 'Non-governmental organizations'. It represents some of the biggest energy corporations of the world, some other industrial giants and many banks and assurance companies.
IETA was the biggest lobby group also in the previous UN climate conference in Bali, but the corporate take over of the climate talks has moved one step further in Poznan; half of the space of the Poznan International Fair is available to rent, while the official procedure is taking place in the other half. IETA has hired a whole building where it holds up to 12 events per day. A real parallel conference!
But IETA is also holding meetings inside the official space. One of those took place at Saturday evening in a crowded room under the title: 'Post-2012 international action supporting local action'.
The panelist used very sophisticated business language provoking to most of the attendees a rather bamboozled expression.
They want the CDM to be reformed because they consider that "its current architecture doesn't match with current challenges". This is where we should look for the reason why CDM has failed to reduce global emissions so far. The solution will come from "a new CDM with more flexible mechanisms." Even some of the panellists said that it had to be not too complicated because "politicians already have problems understanding it."
When you go to such event, you start to feel as if only business people know the details about how to reduce emissions and save the climate. The rest of us just grumble, since these are the people that "will make it happen."
However, it doesn't take a genius to see that the demand to continue offsetting emissions in the non-developed world that count as reductions for the developed one (currently 66% of the EU reductions) is not the most rational way of eradicating the causes of climate change.
Responding to a question from a World Development Movement campaigner, a panelist said: "You've got a point. The issue is environment. We tend to forget it and focus to discussions about markets." Tell us about it Mister!
Having said that they quietly returned to their discussion about how to create the most effective market solution to climate change with the right proportion of flexibility. "Market solutions are not optimal," they said, "because the market is not perfect, but it is the best system we have."
So let's pray that they find the best market solution, otherwise bye bye climate. There is one thing in their logic that can't be touched: profit. No solution is acceptable if it doesn't permit their profits to continue to rise. And go find how that is compatible with 'the acceptance of the responsibility of climate change' that developed world corporations 'recognize' each time they're asked.
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