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International-UN-NGOs
France plans to create world-wide environmental police
2005-03-12
The French Ministry of Environment in co-operation with Environmental Ministries of other European countries is working out a plan of "environmental forces". The European Union is expected to initiate this international institution as one of the reformed UN's structures in September this year, ITAR-TASS reported. Paris aims to get wide commissions for the "world-wide environmental police". It is supposed to implement monitoring and writing out penalties for countries and enterprises violating international environmental standards.
Posted by:phil_b

#23  Tom-
Efficiency is irrelevant if emissions are controlled adequately (though cost is a factor). Anyway, as Sobiesky says the "police" wouldn't be let in. Trade agreements/market access is where they would likely get us.
Posted by: Spot   2005-03-12 7:38:26 PM  

#22  Where is Mike Sylwester when you need him?
Posted by: Glereper Glavise4297   2005-03-12 4:37:52 PM  

#21  Tom, please explain to me how they can "go after our weak points" if they are not simple let in?
If we don't enter into some form of treaty agreeing to this, then they can jump as high as they can in righteous excitement and point fingers, but that is all. Well, beside hiring ACLU or other stooges in kind.
Posted by: Sobiesky   2005-03-12 4:05:24 PM  

#20  Pollution at the industrial plant site is not the only issue, Spot. There are energy efficiency standards involved that affect pollution back at the power plants. For example, lower electricity use translates into less coal burning back at the power plants. US laws on energy efficiency are NOT "some of the toughest environmental laws around". The "police" will go after our weak points, not our strong points.
Posted by: Tom   2005-03-12 3:49:10 PM  

#19  You'll note that there was no mention of any efforts or costs associated with cleaning up any pollution. So this just amounts to another international tax. That is, an oil tanker cracks up: whoopee! free money!, with no concern at all for the cleanup. The idea here is to reinforce the notion that the entire Earth is community property.
Posted by: Anonymoose   2005-03-12 3:19:40 PM  

#18  If at first you don't succeed Kyoto, try, try again...
Posted by: Raj   2005-03-12 2:30:54 PM  

#17  I wouldn't worry too much about the US losing an advantage on this. The US already has some of the toughest environmental laws around. In many ways US firms are at a disadvantage due to having to comply with these laws whereas firms in other countries don't. .com is right: trade agreements are the place where "international standards" will come up.
Posted by: Spot   2005-03-12 1:46:08 PM  

#16  Sure....right after they determine who was responsible for blowing up that Greenpeace ship...
Posted by: Desert Blondie   2005-03-12 12:24:57 PM  

#15  If it can be vetoed in the UNSC, Bush just put in place the man who will take a great deal of pleasure in doing it. Besides, we already have our own environmental police: the EPA. I think we're a couple of decades ahead of them on this, just like our '68-ers got going in '65.
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-03-12 12:24:20 PM  

#14  It would just need to selectively focus on our companies doing business overseas.

Let the jerks try something. Patience with the Phrench is something that is not likely to be in abundant supply these days.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-03-12 11:48:49 AM  

#13  The French environmental bureaucrats/police will take our homeland industry to task for lower energy efficiency than "European standards". Our efficiency runs lower in large part because our energy costs are lower (due to our use of domestic coal and domestic natural gas) and thus the payback for higher-cost, higher-efficiency equipment is not there.

"The European Union is expected to initiate this international institution as one of the reformed UN’s structures..."
Now that's one fascinating sentence fragment! It embodies the French plan to do us in using the EU and the UN. Their vision on this item is to ram Kyoto and worse down our throats to help strengthen their planned "multi-polar world".

Let's just stop the diplo-speak now and tell Chirac that none of his world government ploys are going to fly, but if he persists he just may take down a few existing world institutions with him, especially the UN. What will the UN be when it loses our funding and our our military participation?

Kofi was touting "U.N. success in Afghanistan" this week as an example of cooperation to defeat terrorism. What would he be touting in Afghanistan this week if the U.S. had not intervened in Afghanistan? Nothing! The Taliban would still be in control.

Keep it up, you world-government fans, and when the "American street" finally gets it you will pay dearly. You will have to pay -- because we won't. It will be one step forward and two steps back for you. In the meantime, George Bush is sending a representative to the UN to convey our sentiments.
Posted by: Tom   2005-03-12 11:47:57 AM  

#12  I'm sure they'll focus on Africa, China, NKorea, and Russia, no?
Posted by: Frank G   2005-03-12 11:09:58 AM  

#11  Tell that frog to keep his sticky ass tongue out of my pocket!
Posted by: raptor   2005-03-12 10:07:31 AM  

#10  ... as one of the reformed UN's structures in September.

One word - 'veto'.
Posted by: DMFD   2005-03-12 9:28:37 AM  

#9  I'm not so sure. There have been more and more open statements of glee at international conferences in response to proposals to tie us down. Chirac could be executed by firing squad at the foot of the Eiffel Tower but the push will go on.
Posted by: too true   2005-03-12 8:02:50 AM  

#8  Chirac will be in a french prison before he ever gets that far.
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2005-03-12 7:11:40 AM  

#7  Just to be clear - such an agency would not need to set one foot on US soil to damage our interests. It would just need to selectively focus on our companies doing business overseas.
Posted by: too true   2005-03-12 6:43:00 AM  

#6  This will be aimed at crippling US economic advantage. It's a serious threat and not just a keystone cops farce.

Chirac hates us and wants to take us down.
Posted by: too true   2005-03-12 6:42:12 AM  

#5  TEAM FRANCE-WORLD POLICE



WE DEMAND JUSTICE!
Posted by: BigEd   2005-03-12 4:26:16 AM  

#4  Help! Somebody bombed my ship. Call the French environmental police to investigate.
Posted by: Greenpeace   2005-03-12 3:02:34 AM  

#3  Lol! Typical charade to create pots of money to loot and the means to punish those who fail to play the game.

I'd look for this to be insinuated into existing agreements, such as the WTO, since they know the US won't willingly participate in this obvious scam.

Methinks Chirac is scrambling to set up his next score, since he's on his way out in 2007.
Posted by: .com   2005-03-12 2:36:54 AM  

#2  Got one thing to say to the Phrench about this:

Keep your phuquing "environmental police" off American soil.
Posted by: Bomb-a-rama   2005-03-12 1:41:22 AM  

#1  Oh my, I am all really not excited over this. Chirac as Bender says "You can bite my shinny metal ass."
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2005-03-12 1:39:21 AM  

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