Monday, December 17, 2007

How to get people to sign a climate declaration

Step 1: Lock the delegates in a room until they are all exhausted and say they will sign anything to get some sleep.

Step 2: When they realise they goofed the next day, lock them in a room again and subject them to herd-intimidation even the most die-hard unionist would cringe at. You want them to feel alone, un-loved, even hated - officially: 'isolated'. At all stages question their motives and make them feel guilty for defending their interests of the people they are here to represent. The more you can make them look bad, the more people will jump on your band wagon for personal and political gain. Thus increases the 'isolation' of the target(s).

Step 3: If the delegates who don't want to sign are from poor countries lock them outside because they dont count. You would not want them siding with the target(s) of your intimidation, and exposing the myth of their 'isolation'.

Step 3: When that doesn't work change the wording of the document so that it does not commit anyone to targets binding or otherwise, just to saying they like the sound of targets; or in the case of poor countries, to making power-point presentations about how they did their best to reach non-existent targets.

Step 4: Cheer and shout and get smashed in business-class on the flight home. Arrive to rapturous applause about how you ended your country's 'isolation'. Attempt to shag idealistic impressionable young members of the ALP impressed by your 'achievements'.

Step 5: Wake up with a hangover and realise the agreement you got is a step-backward compared to John Howard's Sydney declaration where developing and developed countries actually said they would accept non-binding targets, which are better than no targets. Immediately call newspaper editors to repress this information by threat of withdrawing interviews with the new masters. Accept their supplication with calm benevolence.

Step 6: Book your flights for XMAS holiday. Job done.