Sunday, December 21, 2008

The EU Compromise and A Chat

During the years I was in office, EU Ministers would firmly emphasize and stress upon climate change policy in international environment meetings. They would highlight the gravity of the climate change trends and the commitments that members of the global community should make to ensure that the warming of the earth's atmosphere is slowed down. EU States usually displayed their firmness in this debate, while developing countries had reservations on regulations that would ultimately curb their development processes. The G77 countries would argue that the warming of the earth is a phenomena that has aroused due to decades of Western industrial growth and now that it is the turn of developing nations to advance, they are confronted with a global commitment to curb greenhouse gas production.
EU States met on December 12 in Brussels to allow East European countries to continue use coal as an industrial fuel until 2020. Coal combustion creates large amounts of greenhouse gases, in addition to other pollutants, and EU States in the past worked hard not only to eradicate it from Europe but also to discourage other countries from using it. This compromise is a setback for the EU that traditionally stood firm on its principles and could be taken probably as an indication of change . It also indicates that East Europe is well behind the rest of Europe, similar to the developing world in terms of the commitments it could make in this regard. This session and the COP meeting in Poland did not deliver any promising message for environmentalists who are concerned for the future of planet earth.
The Australian Ambassador in Tehran payed a visit to my office in the Tehran City Council yesterday. The importance of promoting dialogue on issues of mutual interest, joint workshops for exchange of experience on environmental matters with the Council or with the Center for Peace and Environment were discussed. He noted that the economic crises had not hit the Australian markets yet and that their government had worked hard to regulate private sector investments so that scandals like the Madoff issue in Wall Street would not happen.

6 comments:

Black Chador said...

urAs someone who has changed her life style five years ago in to a Green Living style, I have to tell you that living green is not that easy. I get my electricity from the sun, a wind mill and a solar pump fills up my 5000 Gal water tank and another solar pump crates a little stream to my pond. I am currently in process of installing a wind generator to supplement my solar panels during cloudy and stormy days.
I have to tell you that at first I had a hard time adjusting to the fact that I could not leave TV on just to hear some noise. Living green means making scarifies and adjustment to one’s lifestyle. Also living green requires a good amount of investment upfront which not many people in third world countries can afford.
I really don’t know how the rich countries going to force the poor countries in to a green living environment without some kind of financial aids.
As for coal, these days the American Marketing machine are in full force to create a phony comfort level for the American people in using coal, it is called selling Dirty Coal as Clean Coal with TV ads. I guess we can count on Bush’s legacy of “You could sell anything to American people if you only have a good slogan”

Unknown said...

Hey Dr. Ebtekar, please convey this message to your old colleague and fellow VP:

Dr. Aref, doosset daarim!
WE LOVE YOU Dr. Aref!!!

http://www.baran.org.ir/?sn=news&pt=full&id=2063

This is my kinda guy!!!!! This is who SHOULD become Iran's next president, but perhaps the odds are against him, I don't know! :-(

I absolutely LOVE, LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE this guy!!! why???

1) He is from Yazd, the bastion of GOODNESS!

2) He is my fellow electrical engineer, and not just any engineer but one who graduated from Stanford!

3) He sounds like the MOST democratic, the MOST energized, the MOST youth-friendly, and the MOST selfless TRUE "servant of the people" in the whole of Iran!

4) and he just looks sooooooo cute with all that white hair! :-)))

of course I'm kidding with that last one! ... I know I tend to make too many off the cuff references to these men's "looks", but what can I say? I'm too "Westernized" I guess!!! the Americans get such dashing heartthrobs like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, I want the Iranians to feel just as good looking at their president too!!! especially Iranian women!!! ;-) ESPECIALLY after having had to look at this current face for the past 4 years!!!!! PLEASE no more of that!!!!!!!!!! nobody's eyes can take it anymore!!!!!! "be cheshmaaye mardome donya rahm konin"!!!! :-)))


p.s. dear Dr. Ebtekar, please don't censor me just b/c you think these light-hearted jokes I made about your current president may be too unfair!!! come on! it's all in good fun!!! I'm sure he won't mind!

Anonymous said...

Hey IRI, Watch this and LEARN!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#28356011

Now, which one of your presidential candidates has what it takes to inspire in the Iranian PEOPLE the same "Audacity of Hope"???!!!
Yes We Can! and as ONE of the world's most passionate Obamaniacs, let me tell you:
Yes You Can Too!

Anonymous said...

Hey Iranians, watch this one too:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#28356269

in the words of Imam Ali, these are your "Brothers and Sisters in Humanity", if not all of them being your "Brothers and Sisters in Religion"!
Yes We Can! Yes We Did! and Yes You Can Too! ... YOUR TIME FOR CHANGE HAS COME TOO!!! ... You Are the ONES You Have Been Waiting For TOO!

God Bless Barack Hussein Obama!

Anonymous said...

barikallah! ahssant! afarin! bravo! ... now THIS is more like a TRUE Motahhari, not that other son of the shaheed who sounds so sexist and "mote'asseb"!!! this is more like it! This man I can recognize as a Motahhari!

http://www.tabnak.ir/pages/?cid=30301

this is one of those clerics nobody can call a "mullah"!!!

God Bless the memory of that shaheed!

Anonymous said...

When I left this link here earlier, praising it and saying bravo to the interviewer Dr. Mohammad Motahhari, I had not read the whole thing yet, I had just discovered the link, read a few paragraphs and was so impressed by it and so pleasantly moved by it that I had to just come here and praise him for it in front of your readers Dr. Ebtekar!

Now, I just read the whole thing, and even though I have not had the time to read all the other 13 articles he had written before it, but I must say:
WOW!!!!! REALLY Bravo!!!!! REALLY REALLY BRAVO!!!!! I'm so glad to see such topics being discussed in Iran, and thank God for people who try to live up to the PRIVILEGE of having been born into families with very highly accomplished role models as their elders!

What pushes them to wanna try doing all they can to DESERVE their family names, and keeping the memory or the spirits of their fathers/mothers or aunts/uncles or grandfathers/grandmothers happy with who they have become, is a source of motivation I know something about!!!

http://www.tabnak.ir/pages/?cid=30301

Dear Dr. Motahhari, you have INDEED made your father proud, I'm sure of it!!! God bless you and may God's peace be upon his soul!