Save the planet: Erase Copenhagen’s carbon footprint!

By Michelle Malkin  •  December 3, 2009 02:00 PM

Another gargantuan reason, in the wake of ClimateGate, to call the whole damned thing off:

When an estimated 16,500 delegates, activists and reporters descend upon Copenhagen Monday for the United Nations Climate Change Conference, a lot of hot air will follow.

The U.N. estimates the 12-day conference will create 40,584 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, roughly the same amount as the carbon emissions of Morocco in 2006.

Those greenhouse gas emissions are comprised of two parts: international travel and local emissions from hotels and transportation venues. Organizers will also reportedly lay 900 kilometers of computer cable and 50,000 square miles of carpet, along with more than 200,000 meals to be served and 200,000 cups of coffee.

The conference will leave an enormous carbon footprint, says Patrick Michaels, senior fellow for environmental studies at the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank in Washington.

“It will be huge,” Michaels said of the environmental toll. “Where is video conferencing when we need it? An equally important question is what will be accomplished here?”

Approximately 140 aircraft carrying world leaders, heads of state and VIPs will land in Copenhagen, the U.N. estimates — although 95 percent of departures from Copenhagen Airport will be “green departures,” which allow airplanes to climb continuously to their optimal operating level, enabling them to reach planned routes sooner than usual. The result, according to the U.N., is saved time, fuel and carbon emissions.

But Michaels wonders why attendees, particularly those in Europe, can’t ride the rails into Copenhagen.

“That’s the way I get to New York,” Michaels said. “There’s nothing new here. There’s always been a lot of hypocrisy amongst the climate change political community.

“Prince Charles goes around the world in a private jet, telling everyone else they need to ration their carbon dioxide. Please.”

Herb London, president of the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, acknowledged the “level of hypocrisy” regarding the conference and its emissions, but he said living in modernity mandates some sort of measurable carbon footprint. The question, he said, is if the carbon footprint left behind is desirable and efficient.

“It is ironic that you’ll have all these pronouncements made and very little action,” London told FoxNews.com. “What are [China and India] going to do? So what are we talking about here?”

Via FoxNews.com.

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Comments


  1. #1
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:02 pm, chapoutier said:

    I think it is kind of like how it’s okay for PETA’s president to use insulin derived from cows because she claims her living, on the whole, saves more (animal) lives.

    Right?

  2. #2
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:02 pm, Craig said:

    I was wondering when someone was going to get around to realizing this carbon BONANZA.

  3. #3
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm, RTater said:

    Now pay me the extortion carbon offset for all the times I didn’t fly to Copenhagen !

  4. #4
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:08 pm, redbug70 said:

    The house of cards is crashing down. I will try to take the high road and not gloat with liberal friends who I’ve argued with about climate change over the years.

    Oh, they had good intentions but all they really accomplished was making Al Gore richer.

  5. #5
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:08 pm, verogolfer said:

    Should have held this at the North Pole. Then all the 16,000-plus folks could examine firsthand the icecap to see if it is really shrinking. And they wouldn’t need any heated rooms or other modern conveniences.

  6. #6
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:09 pm, Stoutcat said:

    Or as has been said before, “I’ll believe there’s a global climate crisis when the people who are saying that there’s a global climate crisis start acting like there’s a global climate crisis.”

    Or to put it another way:

    Copenhagen Conference: a tale told by idiots, full of sound and carbon emissions, signifying nothing.

  7. #7
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:15 pm, Southpaw said:

    16,500 idiots in one place? Where’s a global cooling meteor impact when you need one?

  8. #8
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm, Regulus said:

    These are important people traveling to Copenhagen, Michelle. Important. People. Don’t you understand?

    Besides, if it really matters, Important People can buy indulgences carbon credits from The Pope of Global Warming algore – so it’s all good, no?

    Going back to the state of mankind represented by the movie Quest For Fire to save Mother Gaia from the virus that is Mankind is for Little People.

    We are Little People. Little. People. Don’t you understand? Stay in your place, woman!

  9. #9
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:18 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    Reilly remarks: “Hey Copenhagen, the ocean called; they’re running out of shrimp!”

  10. #10
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:31 pm, swede said:

    The U.N. estimates the 12-day conference will create 40,584 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, roughly the same amount as the carbon emissions of Morocco in 2006.

    Well, kind of hard to calculate. A commercial jet would come there anyway, without said delegates.

    But the POTUS fleet…now there’s a serious carbon footprint for ya. Better give the Goracle a buzz and buy some offsets pronto.

    Memo to Barry: Copenhagen hasn’t worked out so well recently. Just sayin.

  11. #11
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:33 pm, jt3151 said:

    50,000 sq miles of carpet can’t be right. Maybe 50,000 sq feet? Either way, what a crock!

  12. #12
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:35 pm, chapoutier said:

    50,000 sq miles of carpet can’t be right. Maybe 50,000 sq feet? Either way, what a crock!

    Good catch. That would be bigger than the state of Mississippi.

  13. #13
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:35 pm, simcoe said:

    For this kind of thing I’d be tempted to lease my jet to Mohamed if he promised to fill all the seats, not sign an insurance waiver, and follow the flight plan in the sealed envelope.

  14. #14
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:37 pm, SHoward said:

    Good catch. That would be bigger than the state of Mississippi.

    Yeah, their heads may be that big….Not so sure about their feet….

  15. #15
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:43 pm, spaceycakes said:

    Rogue–I’m goin’ with ‘Jerkstore’!

  16. #16
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm, stillontheroad said:

    50,000 square miles…. might encompass the size of manbearpigs forehead.

  17. #17
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:45 pm, swede said:

    OT – Dear leader may not have a clue what he is trying to do in Afganistan, but thankfully the West Point cadets do.

  18. #18
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm, FruNobulux said:

    They’re a bunch of climate-gate deniers who should be given Nuremberg-style trials.

  19. #19
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:53 pm, Last Massachusetts Conservative said:

    …900 kilometers of computer cable and 50,000 square miles of carpet…

    ???

    Last I knew Massachusetts was about 10,000 square miles. So they are going to lay down carpet equivalent to 5 Massachusetts? Something does not seem correct here. Perhaps 50,000 square feet or maybe square meters? Michelle, I am surprised your sharp eye did not catch this. Did UEA hack this article?

  20. #20
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:55 pm, Truesoldier said:

    Off topic, but has anyone else heard anything about this:

    A veteran of three wars who was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor is now facing an unlikely enemy — his neighbors.

    Col. Van T. Barfoot, 90, has raised the Stars and Stripes every day at sunrise and lowered them every day at sunset since he served in the U.S. Army. But on Tuesday he received a letter from the law firm that represents his homeowners’ association, ordering him to remove the flagpole from his Richmond, Va. yard by 5 p.m. on Friday or face “legal action.”

    I am getting tired of how HOA’s have decided that they have the right to trample on property rights.

  21. #21
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:57 pm, graysonret said:

    Where’s a global cooling meteor impact when you need one?

    Oh, now, there’s “scientists” claiming that, because of global warming, we’ll very likely have a mini ice age soon. This is because of shifting ocean currents, so keep your coats and sweaters in good shape.

  22. #22
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:58 pm, Truesoldier said:

    Now back on topic, here is an interesting article about the UN and “greening”:

    The United Nations, which has been telling the world that it must cut back dramatically on its greenhouse gas emissions, has finally decided to practice what it preaches. But the world body isn’t coming clean on the full costs of its self-greening effort with the member states who foot the bill.

  23. #23
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:59 pm, DBNinKY said:

    …200,000 cups of coffee.

    Wow! I hope that’s shade-grown coffee (greenies love it!); otherwise, a few dozen additional acres of South American rain forest is about to clearcut to make room for more coffee fields!

  24. #24
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:02 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    50,000 sq miles of carpet can’t be right. Maybe 50,000 sq feet? Either way, what a crock!
    Good catch. That would be bigger than the state of Mississippi.

    They inflate numbers. It’s what they do.

  25. #25
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm, Jvette said:

    But, they’re doing important work to save the globe!!! The earth is burning up!!!

    So what? You have to break a few eggs to make an omelet.

    I just know that once all this cap and crap is in place, these people will give up their extravagant lifestyles and modes of travel. /sarc

  26. #26
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:04 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    50,000 sq miles of carpet can’t be right. Maybe 50,000 sq feet?

    Hey – 1,400 carpet layers have signed a petition saying it’s 50,000 sq miles. It’s “settled.”

  27. #27
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:05 pm, Truesoldier said:

    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:03 pm, Jvette said:

    I just know that once all this cap and crap is in place, these people will give up your freedoms to keep their extravagant lifestyles and modes of travel.

    There FIFY.

  28. #28
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:06 pm, Truesoldier said:

    50,000 sq miles of carpet can’t be right.

    It is going to be known as the Shag Revolution!

  29. #29
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:07 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    200,000 meals to be served and 200,000 cups of coffee.

    This doesn’t seem right. No coffee between meals?

  30. #30
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:07 pm, SHoward said:

    “Who cares if the earth warms up. We’ll grow oranges in Alaska!” — puffs cigarrette…

  31. #31
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:08 pm, Hangfire said:

    But if we lose the arctic icecap, the we’ll have no place to stand while clubbing seals.

  32. #32
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm, Jvette said:

    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:05 pm, Truesoldier said:

    Well done, sir!

  33. #33
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:43 pm, spaceycakes said:
    Rogue–I’m goin’ with ‘Jerkstore’!

    Heh.
    Unfortunately the jerkstore (read U.N), will always have a surplus of these guys.

  34. #34
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm, chapoutier said:

    Hey – 1,400 carpet layers have signed a petition saying it’s 50,000 sq miles. It’s “settled.”

    You are looking at it all wrong. You can’t just measure the square footage of its imprint. You also have to take into account the length of the pile and multiply that by the number of stitches. Kind of like how Maine’s general coastline is 230 miles long just measured up and down, but when you take into account all the crags and inlets, it is actually 3,500 miles.

  35. #35
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm, swede said:

    Maybe they mean 50,000 sq miles of carpet were created or saved.

  36. #36
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:11 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    200,000 meals to be served and 200,000 cups of coffee.

    Check my math – 16,500 times 3 meals per day times 12 days is ? I get 594,000. On the other hand, we can assume they would eat anyway, no matter where they were…

  37. #37
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm, chapoutier said:

    This doesn’t seem right. No coffee between meals?

    Maybe there are a bunch of Mormons attending to bring the average down.

  38. #38
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm, tarpon said:

    Apparently they called Al Gore off … What will his investors do.

  39. #39
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:13 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    You also have to take into account the length of the pile and multiply that by the number of stitches.

    True. I hadn’t thought of a carpet as a fractal. Measured that way, my bathmat is 50,000 sq miles.

  40. #40
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:14 pm, AlohaGuy said:

    Maybe there are a bunch of Mormons attending to bring the average down

    And if they bring along Jehovah’s Witnesses, you can get it delivered to your door.

  41. #41
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:18 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:13 pm, AlohaGuy said:
    You also have to take into account the length of the pile and multiply that by the number of stitches.
    True. I hadn’t thought of a carpet as a fractal. Measured that way, my bathmat is 50,000 sq miles.

    Carl Sagan: The biomass of CO2 engorging fungi the bathmat contains must be bazillions and bazillions!

  42. #42
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:30 pm, purealchemy said:

    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm, tarpon said:
    Apparently they called Al Gore off … What will his investors do.

    I heard that he called it off himself.
    Which is correct?

  43. #43
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:32 pm, Flyoverman said:

    Given the revelations regarding the science behind this “crisis” perhaps a change of venue to Salem, MA, might be an appropriate thing to do.

  44. #44
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:33 pm, tre said:

    200,000 cups of coffee.

    They’ll be running back and forth to the bathroom too much to be able to do much damage.

    I wouldn’t worry about it.

  45. #45
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:34 pm, englishqueen01 said:

    The U.N. estimates the 12-day conference will create 40,584 tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, roughly the same amount as the carbon emissions of Morocco in 2006.

    Well, clearly, we need to eliminate Morocco to offset Copenhagen. Problem solved!

  46. #46
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:41 pm, RedDog said:

    I would like to see a document dump showing the collusion between the fraudsters and their politician handlers. That would be very nice indeed. Although I think if that were imminent you would see Bourne-like assassinations of the minions.

  47. #47
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:44 pm, J S Ragman said:

    Arthur: “Uncle Peter, Aunt Pearl, allow me to introduce Princess Gloria. She is from a small Carribbean island, so small, they recently had the whole country carpeted.”

  48. #48
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:45 pm, RedDog said:

    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:15 pm, Southpaw said:
    16,500 idiots in one place? Where’s a global cooling meteor impact when you need one?

    LOL…..

  49. #49
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 3:59 pm, TooMuchTime said:

    I am getting tired of how HOA’s have decided that they have the right to trample on property rights.

    Truesoldier, this is S.O.P. but I’ll bet you’ll find the HOA and neighbors are okay with it. It’s the property management company that needs to be nuked. We live in an HOA and had to get our house painted. We chose our own colors and the HOA meeting was a breeze.

    On the other hand, the PMC has been nothing but a royal pain in the @$$. Their representative on the HOA board is a witch, with a capital B.

    I think all HOA/PMC membership should be voluntary.

  50. #50
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 4:26 pm, Socratease said:

    “Where is video conferencing when we need it?”

    Video conferencing has been there all along.

    The real question is: Where has the world global warming community been?

  51. #51
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 4:28 pm, jsr said:

    Well, clearly, we need to eliminate Morocco to offset Copenhagen. Problem solved!.

    I think that pretty much sums up the climate alarmists attitude towards the third world and American middle class. They would like those that are to be pushed into poverty to be thankful for their foresight for which they should be richley rewarded. Their willingness to sacrifice (other people, that is) is proof of their worthiness and marks them as one of the elect to be spared the fate of those less virtuous

  52. #52
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 4:31 pm, purealchemy said:

    http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/12/03/al-gore-cancels-1-200-handshake-event-copenhagen

    Sounds fishy. Not clear who cancelled.

  53. #53
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 5:21 pm, madshark said:

    On December 3rd, 2009 at 2:15 pm, Southpaw said:
    16,500 idiots in one place? Where’s a global cooling meteor impact when you need one?

    Given the freakish weather that occurs wherever Al Gore preaches, your prediction (wish??) may come true.

  54. #54
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 5:59 pm, spaceycakes said:

    50,000 sq miles of carpet can’t be right

    I don’t really mind as long as it matches the curtains…
    :roll:

  55. #55
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 6:25 pm, Southpaw said:

    50,000 sq miles of carpet

    The government carpetlayers union must have made a hefty contribution to the Obama campaign. Probably an SEIU affiliate.

  56. #56
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 6:55 pm, 24Klady said:

    I’m so loving that little sign MM put up (my carbon footprint, etc.) – can we capture it and send it out to the world? Who do we credit if we just go ahead and lift it?

    TrueSoldier
    I live in a patio home with an HOA – the vet in the story would love it here. About half the residents fly Old Glory every day, about 90% fly it over the weekend – and on federal holidays, I’m guessing everyone does!

  57. #57
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 8:33 pm, Rogue Cheddar said:

    On December 3rd, 2009 at 5:59 pm, spaceycakes said:
    50,000 sq miles of carpet can’t be right
    I don’t really mind as long as it matches the curtains…

    That’s the same criteria Tiger uses when picking out a new girlfriend.
    Does the carpet match the drapes. :roll:

  58. #58
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 10:20 pm, ajmontana said:

    “What are [China and India] going to do?

    Laugh at the fools………………
    oh, and then go back to owning America.

  59. #59
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 10:59 pm, PKAmmoTroop said:

    Man it is bad when the lunatic left notices their own hypocrisy. Of course if they were intellectually capable of doing anything about it they wouldn’t be the left.

  60. #60
    On December 3rd, 2009 at 11:36 pm, Blind Avocado said:

    Yes, the only place in the world where you can find more chauffeured limousines then Las Vegas is at a climate change summit.

  61. #61
    On December 5th, 2009 at 2:00 pm, Micheleeroo said:

    Something’s rotten in Denmark…….

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