VN op de bres voor nieuwe ecosocialistische wereldorde

Bijna alle landen hebben het communisme met zijn centrale economische planning afgezworen. Het bleek zowel in de theorie als in de praktijk niet te functioneren. Maar binnen de VN lijkt het nog springlevend te zijn. In steeds weer nieuwe gedaanten wordt het lijk van de collectivistische 'nieuwe internationale economische orde', die in de jaren tachtig de geest gaf, weer uit de kast gehaald.

Reeds vele tientallen jaren probeert de VN een voet tussen de deur te krijgen bij internationale economische organisaties, zoals het IMF, de WTO (vroeger GATT) en de OESO. Tot op heden is dat niet of nauwelijks gelukt. Maar dat weerhoudt de VN er niet van om steeds weer met nieuwe ideetjes te komen, die een grotere, sturende rol van de VN in de wereldeconomie met elkaar gemeen hebben. De laatste loot aan deze stam is wat James Delingpole een 'master plan for the destruction of the global economy' noemt.

James Delingpole:

Former US secretary to the United Nations John Bolton once famously said: “The [UN] Secretariat building in New York has 38 stories. If it lost ten stories it wouldn’t make a bit of difference.” But I’d say Bolton was being too modest in his aspirations. Far too modest. I’d suggest that if we lost all 38 stories the benefits to mankind would be almost incalculable. Right now, indeed, it’s likely that the United Nations poses a far greater threat to Western Civilisation and the world’s economic future than Al Qaeda does. Have a glance at its latest report World Economic And Social Survey 2011 and you’ll see what I mean.

The report argues that over the next 40 years our governments must spend an annual minimum of $1.9 trillion – that’s an eyewatering $76 trillion – steering the global economy onto the path of “green growth.” But “Green growth” – as the report more or less acknowledges – is an oxymoron. That’s why, even though it was supervised by an alleged economist, Dutchman Rob Vos, the report is not at all ashamed to advocate limiting economic growth through rationing, punitive taxation and other forms of government intervention. Why? To combat “Climate Change”, of course.

Here’s the kicker:

“Hence, if, for instance, emission reduction targets cannot be met through accelerated technological progress in energy efficiency and renewable energy generation, it may be necessary to impose caps on energy consumption itself in order to meet climate change mitigation in a timely manner. Proposals to put limits on economic growth can be viewed in this context.” (P.19) And if shaving off $1.9 trillion from the world economy each year (that’s 3 per cent of the world gross product in 2010) results in further economic stagnation and a lower standard of living for our children and grandchildren, well what the hell. As the report primly tells us, none of us actually needs to earn more than $10,000 a year. Anything more is greedy.

En zo gaat Delingpole door.

Zijn eigen credo:

As economies grow richer, so they have more money to set aside for cleaner rivers, fresher air, as well as to invest in R & D projects for ever more eco-friendly forms of energy. It’s no coincidence that quite the worst environmental damage in the last century was done in those countries behind the Iron Curtain. Free market economies tend naturally to be cleaner and healthier because clean and healthy is what people choose anyway if they can afford it. They don’t need government to step in and take their money in order to spend it inefficiently trying to achieve something which would have happened quite naturally anyway. What this ludicrous UN report is advocating is the exact opposite of what the world needs if it is to become genuinely greener. All those people in the developing world, if they’re to live healthier, less environmentally damaging lives the very last thing they need is hand-outs from richer economies.

What they need is property rights and free trade and the chance to grow their economy to the point where – cf the Kuznets Curve – they can afford the luxury of having to breed fewer children and to heat and light their homes without having to chop down the nearest trees. What they also need for us in the rich West to have thriving economies in order that we can import more of their produce. Rationing and limits to growth are not the answer. The UN is a menace and we listen to its eco-fascist ravings at our peril.

Lees verder hier.

Deze tekst lijkt wel te zijn overgeschreven uit de folders van de amerikaanse pro-markt denktanks. Het klopt m.i. wel. Maar het duurt een tijdje voordat je dat allemaal voor elkaar hebt. Bovendien is de werkelijkheid nooit zo mooi als de folder belooft.

Aan de publicatie van World Economic and Social Survey van de VN wordt in het algemeen overigens weinig aandacht geschonken. Maar als men de daarover heen gedrapeerde grauwsluiers van neo-communisme en klimaathysterie wegtrekt, vindt men toch veel nuttige informatie.