Ah, Denmark in the winter.

How best do you show that you are serious about limiting the amount of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere? Easy, have a get together in a country that requires the attendees from 192 countries to spew out CO2 at a massive rate. According to the organizers, the eleven-day conference, including the participants' travel, will create a total of 41,000 tons of "carbon dioxide equivalent"; the amount of carbon dioxide produced by more than 60 of the world's smaller countries in an entire year -- combined.

The number of limousines for the Copenhagen summit is already over 1,200. There aren’t enough limos in the country to fill the demand so they are being driven from Germany and Sweden. These are people worried about the planet so of course, they are also driving electric or hybrids. So far five of these cars are among the 1,200. Majken Friss Jorgensen, managing director of Copenhagen's biggest limousine company stated, "The government has some alternative fuel cars but the rest will be petrol or diesel. We don't have any hybrids in Denmark, unfortunately, due to the extreme taxes on those cars. It makes no sense at all, but it's very Danish." 5 out of 1,200 is roughly 0.4%; surprisingly that is also the effect that man has as a whole on the global CO2 levels (when not attending a conference to reduce said levels – irony at its best). You would think they would at least carpool to the conference.



The airport says it is expecting up to 140 extra private jets during the peak period alone, so far over its capacity that the planes will have to fly off to regional airports – or to Sweden – to park, returning to Copenhagen to pick up their VIP passengers.

Over 15,000 delegates and officials, 5,000 journalists and 98 world leaders as well as celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio, Daryl Hannah, Helena Christensen, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Prince Charles will be attending and eating a menu of scallops, foie gras and sculpted caviar wedges (no doubt from sustainable sources). No doubt some of the concerned will dine on the cheap. One restaurants signature dessert is a vanilla panna cotta topped with a razor-thin leaf of 24-carat gold. Another treat is a rich chocolate-whipped ganache and a fingernail-sized, tasty almond cake.

At least the sex will be C02-neutral. The prostitutes are doing their bit for the planet. Outraged by a council postcard urging delegates to "be sustainable, don't buy sex," the local sex workers' union – yes, they have unions there – has announced that all its 1,400 members will give free intercourse to anyone with a climate conference delegate's pass. The term "carbon dating" just took on an entirely new meaning.

Many of the participants do not really need to be there. And, far from "saving the world," the world's leaders have already agreed that this conference will not produce any kind of binding deal, merely an interim statement of intent. Instead of swift and modest reductions in carbon – say, two per cent a year, starting next year – for which they could possibly be held accountable, the politicians will bandy around grandiose targets of 80-per-cent-plus by 2050, by which time few of the leaders at Copenhagen will even be alive, let alone still in office.
No doubt these “green” elite, who are adamant we be taxed and regulated into compliance with their environmental principles, are happily violating those principles in their private jets, chauffeured vehicles and luxury accommodations. Like Orwell pointed out, “all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others”.

P.T. Barnum and Chicken Little didn’t have anything on these people.

UPDATE: Al Gore was planning on giving out handshakes for $1,209 in Copenhagen. The former vice president and Nobel Peace Prize winner had been scheduled to speak to more than 3,000 people at a Dec. 16 event hosted by the Berlingske Tidende newspaper group.

As described in The Washington Times' Inside the Beltway column Tuesday, the multimedia public event to promote Mr. Gore's new book, "Our Choice," included $1,209 VIP tickets that granted the holder a photo opportunity with Mr. Gore and a "light snack."

Just days before the summit, and inconveniently after the data supporting global warming turned out to be false, the group says Gore canceled the lecture Thursday, citing unforeseen changes in his schedule. He probably realized that he would be asked questions and found something more important to do than be at the summit for which he has been the poster child.

Keep up the good work Al!

UPDATE NUMBER 2: turns out my numbers were in error. Apparently, the carbon footprint will actually by upwards of 46,200 tonnes (again most of it from private flights to and from). To put it in perspective, it is the amount produced by 2,300 Americans (or 660,000 Ethiopians) each year (using 2006 stats). The final stats won't be calculated till after the conference. Emissions broke down as follows: 23% accommodation, transportation 7% and activities inside the conference center 70%.

Temporary offices, not well insulated and warmed by oil (that dreaded oil)heaters were the most wasteful. Some of the power was generated from wind power but the vast majority of the energy used by the conference was from, are you ready for this, COAL FIRED POWER STATIONS!! Way to show us how to be green!