Climate Change: Rooting Out Left-Wing Conspirators

Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that the climate change critics are right–that climate change, aka global warming, is junk science.

All the research that has been done and the millions upon millions upon billions of dollars that were spent to understand it has been for the benefit of a huge group of scientists and researchers to line their pockets with research grants and government money.

This group of scientists and academics, led by the notorious Al Gore (who discovered the real money maker is not committing yourself to changing the world through government, but by taking up the lecture circuit to promote “bogus” science–unlike other high-profile former politicians who have taken to the lecture circuit to promote themselves) have dedicated their lives to developing and promoting a tale of global woe for wholly selfish gain.

In keeping with this line of argument–that climate change is nothing more than a left-wing conspiracy to enrich the pockets of a major population of schemers–there obviously must be a Mr. Big. There is one individual or small group plotting what their next climate-change scam will be for the purposes of monetary gain.

That's if you follow the critics' argument to its logical conclusion.

A major player in this conspiracy would have to be a global reinsurance behemoth–Munich Re.

At the start of the recent COP16/CMP6 conference on climate change held late last year in Cancun, Mexico, the company put out a press report, “Weather Extremes, Climate Change, Cancun 2010,” outlining the evidence that climate change is taking place. It declared that “climate change is a fact and is almost entirely made by man.”

It noted scientific evidence, part of which comes from the cultivation of data from the National Weather Service–an organization whose future, I'm sure critics would contend, is tied up intrinsically in support of this left-wing conspiracy. Based on the evidence, the report said that as of September 2010, 2010 was the warmest year on record since records began to be kept 130 years ago.

The report also noted that the 10 warmest years in this period have come within the past 12, with record temperatures in Asia, Moscow and Los Angeles. Germany had its wettest August and the Arctic Ocean experienced its lowest ice cover for the month of June last year.

The company went on to detail other scientific observations that taken as a whole indicate disturbing changes to the climate that should make everyone, especially beach dwellers, more than a little concerned with changes in the environment.

At the COP16/CMP6 conference, the 16th edition of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) and the 6th Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP), 200 countries and other authorities attended the week-long meeting. Even Munich Re had said it was pessimistic about the prospects of the gathering, commenting that “expectations are low that an agreement will be reached” to build a consensus on what should be done to deal with climate change.

The New York Times noted, “The United Nations climate change conference began with modest aims and ended… with modest achievements.”

This was the same sentiment expressed by Torsten Jeworrek, chief executive officer of reinsurance operations for Munich Re, who posted his assessment of the conference on the carrier's website.

“The outcome of Cancun brings an important and surprising success,” he said.

“I am very pleased about the breakthrough achieved by the negotiations in Mexico: the Kyoto protocol can be continued, the 2?C [35.6?F] goal [for limiting global warming] has been recognized by all countries for the first time, the international climate protection process has regained its leading role under the aegis of the United Nations.”

He said he was pleased that there was agreement to create an adaptation fund for developing countries to provide $100 billion annually from 2020. He noted that this fund could be used to finance the risk management concept for developing countries proposed by the Munich Climate Insurance Initiative.

He was critical, however, that despite the agreement, the major emitters of carbon dioxide–the United States and China– have no binding reduction targets.

“If that situation persists, the protocol to be negotiated in South Africa next year will be a toothless tiger. Consequently, we still have some way to go toward effective climate protection,” he said.

Energy generation activities will need to be addressed, shifting the production from fossil fuels to renewable energy in the next few decades, Mr. Jeworrek said, adding that the conversion will open vast new opportunities “for countries and companies.” He said the attendance of more than 600 people from different companies at a parallel event, the World Climate Summit, “sent a clear signal: large sections of the economy are calling on the politicians to formulate suitable political framework conditions.”

He observed that many companies see long-term value in climate protection, and he counted his company among that group. Within 20 years, the cost advantage fossil fuel enjoys will be surpassed by renewable energy, he pointed out, and unlike the United States, China has set a very ambitious program to rapidly develop renewable energy.

While critics would probably contend that Munich Re is looking out for its own self-interest, Mr. Jeworrek did say that the risk of climate change can have direct impact on the reinsurance of “natural hazards.” He went on to report that it is a risk his company believes “can be calculated.”

Mr. Jeworrek said the company also believes it is in a position to “seize the economic opportunities” climate change brings and “consistently support the development of renewable energies in the coming years.” That support, he noted, would take the “form of tailored insurance solutions” that would be aimed at assuring the investment in renewable energy.

The company will also continue to invest in Dii GmbH desert-power project, a program to produce electricity across the Middle East and North Africa region utilizing renewable energy and advanced technology for transmission. The company is committing more than EUR2.5 billion [$3.3 billion at the current exchange rate] over the coming years to renewable energy.

He concluded his comments, saying that after this meeting it is up to political leaders to both support and help “speed up” the transition from fossil fuel to renewable energy and at the same achieve the 2?C [35.6?F] limit.

“It has been underway for some time now, and large sections of the economy have long been committed to this task,” Mr. Jeworrek observed.

Yes, it's pretty obvious that Mr. Jeworrek is another left-wing conspirator, but for the benefit of future generations, and ours, I hope we find more like him.