Independent Journalism

This past week the White House issued a statement on President Obama’s upcoming attendance at the International Climate Summit in Copenhagen:

“The United States will pay its fair share of that amount and other countries will make substantial commitments as well. Providing this assistance is not only a humanitarian imperative — it’s an investment in our common security, as no climate change accord can succeed if it does not help all countries reduce their emissions.”

So how much is that fair share amount? The White House statement noted, “There appears to an emerging consensus that a core element of the Copenhagen accord should be to mobilize $10 billion a year by 2012 to support adaptation and mitigation in developing countries.”

With the recent controversy surrounding allegations that climate scientists were manipulating and deleting data and with our ongoing unemployment problems, record deficits, and a recent troop surge, is contributing $10 billion a year the best use of our precious taxpayer dollars?

Our current University of California students are going to see their tuition increased by 32%; wouldn’t that money be better spent investing in our own students? Helping them find the next technology to make energy production cleaner, safer and more reliable.

With our current economic situation, how is spending $10 billion a year on an issue that is currently embroiled in international investigation, a good investment of [read more]