UN climate change secretary to depart 5 months before Mexico summit

Commentary by Kay B. Day

Most Americans have probably never heard of Yvo De Boer, the Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Yet the policies pushed by de Boer would affect every single person in the US. The Associated Press said de Boer will resign July 1; climate talks are scheduled to begin in late November in Mexico.

De Boer’s position is one example of the vast bureaucracy spawned by global warming alarmists, a group whose message dates at least to the 1970s. At that time, the political class and branded media were claiming catastrophe because the earth was cooling. And the messaging relied on the same premise it does today—antagonism towards oil producers.

In a story about the planet cooling the Sarasota Herald-Tribune published Aug. 1, 1976, third world nations were as now allegedly the concern: “A planetary cooling would also increase the demand for petroleum, and third world nations could find themselves caught between the demands of the OPEC oil cartel and the grain producing North American countries.”

The Tribune also noted more than 60 countries were “engaged in cloud-seeding operations designed to stimulate rainfall.” One result of those operations—Honduras and El Salvador blamed the U.S. for their own decline in rainfall.

Much of the antipathy towards the US was born during those years when local leaders in failed countries sought someone to blame for their own shortcomings. This antipathy didn’t just stem from faulty science—shortly after WWII Muslim fundamentalists began to organize, promoting hatred that led to the attack on America in 2001.

I believe a refusal to subject Americans to the politics of global warming was a major reason for successful negative propaganda against President George W. Bush and the US during the double zero decade. Simply put, Bush didn’t buy into the group think and alarmism that has benefited former Democrat vice president and green financier Al Gore so exponentially.

An example of the propaganda can be found in the UK newspaper The Guardian. A story run Nov. 26, 2000 carried the headline ‘Dirty Uncle Sam wrecks deal on global warming.’ That article predicted forest fires would increase in 2001. I have often wondered if some wildfires are not deliberately set by environmental terrorists since forest fires have been with us since the planet was formed. A number of foresters believe poor forest management is one reason for many fires today, aside from the fact Mother Nature can hurl a well-placed lightning bolt anywhere any time she chooses.

The AP wire story noted de Boer’s disappointment with Copenhagen. The AP has consistently promoted global warming, pushing alarmist theories just as branded media did in the 1970s when the big monster in the closet was global cooling.

Despite his departure, it is likely de Boer will continue to benefit from Gore’s alarmist movement. The wire story said he will work as a consultant. It is useful to note that de Boer, like Gore, has no scientific background. Like Gore, de Boer’s roots are political—the AP said de Boer's family was in the “diplomatic” field. He earned a degree in social work in the Netherlands.

Chances are if you asked a man on the street anywhere on the planet ‘Who is Yvo de Boer?’ the response would be ‘Yvo who?’ Yet this man with a social work background helped shape politically scientific policy  that affects every person on the planet.