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ShareBritish body gives 'Fossil prize' to the US for blocking progress at the Bali climate meet
NEW DELHI: A witty and irreverent side show, taking digs at rich nations, was also taking place on the sidelines of the climate conference in Bali.
An award ceremony, held everyday by UK-based Avaaz presented "Fossil of the Day" awards "to countries which had done the most to block progress at the talks".
The US, behaving "as though it was on another planet", emerged at the top - by a large margin - bagging the top three positions.
The fossils, represented by lumps of coal, were presented in an elaborate awards ceremony daily at the Bali International Conference Centre. The 'winners' were chosen by a vote of the Climate Action Network each afternoon.
The awards were handed over, in proxy, to members of the youth delegations from different countries each day. Many "won" the "honours" several times during the conference: USA, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia and even the "climate progressive" 27-nation EU and Russia.
There was a tie between long-time champion, the US and Canada, which was behaving like the 51st state in Bush's America, for the Fossil of the Year award. "Stephen Harper, congratulations -- you've matched the master, and isolated Canada from the rest of the world by recklessly blocking progress in the fight against climate change. Your prize? A year's supply of shame," said the laudation.
"As for the co-winner," Avaaz said, "Canada scorches its way to the final first-place Fossil dishonours for its performance at the last two "Friends of the Chair" minister-level negotiation sessions--specifically, for not showing up. "Environment minister Baird is apparently so busy at the climate change negotiations that he can't be bothered to do any climate change negotiating. It's just the fate of the planet in the balance, after all," the organisation said.
The US also got the second place. It quoted a statement of James Connoughton, chairman of Bush's council on environmental quality, that said, "The US will lead, and we will continue to lead, but leadership also requires others to fall in line and follow".
The third place also went to the US, along with Japan "for their insistence -- right through the night of the 13th -- on keeping the range of 2020 emissions cuts for developed countries out of the Bali road map. It appears the US and Japan want a road map to nowhere. Coal for them!"
