CLIMATE CHANGE, MIGRANTS AND POLITICAL "COOLNESS"

When it was "cool" and politically correct to show oneself concerned with climate change, summits and protocols like Kyoto were used to single out the "bad guys" of the world who would not sign them.  After a few years though, it turned out that hardly any of the "nice" signatories of those documents was able to fulfill their targets, and those who did, managed only by buying quotas from smaller less developed countries, so basically defeating the whole purpose of the system they had signed up to.

I wondered then who was more honest: those who whitewashed their faces by signing the protocols and pointed fingers at those who didn't, but then never lived up to their fake principles, or those who openly admitted upfront that they would not meet those targets and refused to sign.

Now I have a sense of dejá-vu when I remember how those who opposed the open door policies for the EU regarding refugees and migrants were labelled as bigots, racists, heartless and a long list of ugly names by those "nice" and "charitable" people who now pay their way out of the problem, sending the migrants to Turkey of all places, who take them in exchange for money and aren't even able to guarantee to them the most basic human rights. The same human rights that had so loudly been invoked to give the now clearly false impression that everyone is welcome...

In both issues (climate change and migration) it's people's lives that are being messed with. Being forced to comply with Kyoto or to sell emission quotas wrecks the livelihood of many people who exist here and now - climate change is not only about the potential damage to our grand-grand children in 100 years who do not exist yet. Being deceived into thinking that migrating to Europe is an option and then be sent to Turkey wrecks lives, too. Lives which are already at the limit of what one can endure. Not like those who sit behinds desks, have business in Panama and preach about being "humane".

In both issues, I am not defending one option or the other, I am just pointing out hypocrisy. Kudos to those who were consequent in defending the "cool" options and followed through - whoever you are. I can't see you.