Thursday, December 17, 2009

Answer: Three French Hens, Two Turtle Doves and a Partridge in a Pear Tree

Question: Name some of the things delegates to the Copenhagen conference didn't manage to consume during their copious wining and dining (observes UN scourge Claudia Rosett in this wry blog entry):
While we wait for the Copenhagen climate climax on Thursday, featuring Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe among those who would lead us to a low-carbon world, there’s time to peruse some of the tid-bits offered up by the UN to the little folk looking in online. Thus, on the UNFCCC main page, do we find such items as the tonnage of food being consumed by the thousands of delegates at Denmark’s Bella Center conference facilities. The UN description omits the caviar, and probably a few other items enjoyed in the stratosphere around “Seal-the-Deal” Ban Ki-Moon and the other loftiest eminences. But we do learn that by the time they finish their labors amid the snows of Denmark, the global uberlords of eco-everything will have consumed:

10,000 organic chickens, 50 tons of potatoes, two tons of couscous and five ton[s] of fish, prepared by 100 chefs and served by 400 waitressing staff.

OK, let’s state the obvious. It might seem that if these folks had the integrity to practice what they preach, they’d be back home, with the lights low, videoconferencing in, while eating only vegetables...
Conspicuous consumption in the name of "rich" countries forking over huge some of money to "poor" countries as a means of sparing the planet--the hypocrisy is utterly delicious!

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