King Canute and Today’s World Leaders
Posted by jennifer, July 11th, 2009 - under Opinion.
Tags: Climate & Climate Change
When King Canute of lore wanted to teach his citizens a lesson, he set his throne by the seashore and commanded the tides to roll out. Canute’s spirit was back in business this week at the G-8 summit in Italy, where the assembled leaders declared that the world’s temperature shall not rise: “We recognize the scientific view that the increase in global average temperature above pre-industrial levels ought not to exceed 2 degrees [Celsius],” or 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, said the summit declaration. Read more here.
We are talking about something that is “Anthropogenic”, that is, the result of our actions. King Canute was talking about the something that was the result of natural processes.
The irony is that the task is equally impossible, but not in the sense that the author realises. The forces of self interest are equally as impossible to control as the tides.
But if Canute had control over the air we breathe he may have convinced everyone he was right.
Mind you, some people take more convincing than others.