The chemtrail conspiracy theory holds that some contrails are actually toxic chemicals or biological agents deliberately sprayed at high altitude for a purpose undisclosed to the general public. Versions of the conspiracy theory circulating on the internet and on some radio talk shows theorize that this activity is directed by government officials, and they have received thousands of complaints from people who have demanded an explanation. The existence of chemtrails has been repeatedly denied by Government agencies and scientists. Anyone living near a major metropolitan airport has gazed up at the sky and seen them: patchworks of crisscrossing contrails left by passing jetliners. Most of us don’t give a second thought to this common sight of a scratched-up sky. If we do, it’s likely to reflect on the explosion in air traffic and its growing contribution to air pollution. Do hanging contrails represent something much more sinister than increased carbon emissions? Since the late 1990s, a flourishing conspiracy theory subculture has been ringing the alarm that many of these contrails aren’t normal vapor-and-exhaust contrails at all. Rather, they are chemtrails, mysterious and menacing chemical evidence of secret government programs to modify the weather and depopulate the planet.
Barack Obama, the US president, has reached a non-binding agreement with four other nations on limiting future carbon emissions. The accord has been angrily criticised by developing nations, who say that it is not enough to prevent environmental catastrophe due to global warming. The US president will also have a tough time selling the climate agreement back home. With the country’s economy sluggish and unemployment in double digits, energy companies say it isn’t the time for new regulations. As Sebastian Walker reports from Texas, those firms say tougher rules would cut into their bottom line and keep them from creating new jobs.
I’m like “It’s a world WIDE web!” and then I go on to talk solely about Australia and New Zealand. Still, it’s applicable to YOU because (to the best of my knowledge) most countries have not set their new emissions targets yet, so Australia and New Zealand are probably going to set the trend. “DON’T TAKE MY PAVLOVA BRO!”: www.youtube.com Music is “Take out the Trash” by Brad Sucks, used under Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike: www.bradsucks.net Links to the news stories: Wong defiant as Senate rejects carbon trade laws: www.abc.net.au NZ announces emissions targets: www.abc.net.au Quake Brings New Zealand Closer to Australia: www.livescience.com Alright so that’s all from me. I’ll see you next week!
Climate policy experts from think tanks and academia have urged the World Bank to begin calculating the social and environmental costs of carbon emissions from the projects it funds and to include these calculations in project assessments. But bank officials rejected the calls, saying that the calculations were too difficult and politically sensitive.
