“Climate change” latest victim of financial crisis…

“I think we need to bail-in renewable energy and green buildings, and invest in a future that is a better alternative”

“I actually do think that the green revolution is the solution to the financial crisis, the national security crisis, the debt crisis and the climate crisis—they’re all connected.”

Al Gore, San Jose conference, Sept 28th, 2008

Ahhhh yes. As “Joe six-pack” battens down for a lean few years… or decades if the government helps… buffered by promises of increased federal spending under a possible Obama presidency, Al Gore and crew are out there stumping for their cause. Apparently, when the going gets tough, a world… supposedly convinced of climate doom’n’gloom with inaction… sidelines climate crises measures for being financially infeasible.

EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso is issuing pleas… that apparently fall on deaf ears. He issued a statement to journalists:

“Of course we understand that in financially difficult moments governments become defensive, but it is our duty to call the attention of governments and the public to responsibility.”

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EU leaders meeting in Brussels on Wednesday had been tipped to re-state their commitment to the targets in an effort to maintain diplomatic leverage ahead of international talks in December.

But in the wake of the financial crisis, some member states, such as Italy, the Czech Republic and Poland, have criticized the targets, saying that the climate-change package would drive businesses bust or force them to leave Europe.

Barroso rejected that criticism, instead making an impassioned plea to EU states to back the emissions cuts as a way of persuading other major economies to follow suit.

“If the message from the EU here is that climate change is no longer urgent, that would be the end of the global effort,” he said.

Indeed… which may explain why Gore and company are working overtime to bolster up his megafortune investments. Afterall, he has the bulk of his life, reputation and bank accounts in the climate change calamity he helped to manufacture. Only now, the tune has changed from a “do or die” type of approach, to labeling it a financial cure… or the green revolution could be the cure for the financial woes.

“Skyrocketing energy prices and the financial crisis have been a wake-up call that something’s got to change,” said Cathy Zoi, chief executive officer of the Alliance for Climate Protection, which is chaired by former Vice President Al Gore.

“My very strong belief is that we need to reorient our investments toward this transition to a clean energy economy, and it will be the engine of growth for getting us out of the doldrums that we’ve gotten in right now,” Zoi told the Reuters Global Environment Summit this week.

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“There is an urgent need for whichever party wins the US election to give an early signal (of an intent to do more to combat global warming) or there cannot be a credible reason for 190 nations to come together in Copenhagen,” said Achim Steiner, head of the UN Development Programme.

Really, Ms. Zoi? I sure missed that part about how higher consumer taxes to pay for these green energy plans, for energy that costs more than our oil or coal based energy now, is going to bail us out of a global financial crises. Talk about fuzzy math….

Even the US Congress is displaying rare common sense.

The economic free fall gripping the nation may bring down one of the main environmental objectives: capping the greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming.

Democratic leaders in the House and the Senate, and both presidential candidates, continue to rank tackling global warming as a chief goal next year. But the focus on stabilizing the economy probably will make it more difficult to pass a law to reduce carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. At the very least, it will push back when the reductions would have to start.

As one Republican senator put it, the green bubble has burst.

“Clearly it is somewhere down the totem pole given the economic realities we are facing,” said Tom Williams, a spokesman for Duke Energy Corp., an electricity producer that has supported federal mandates on greenhouse gases. Duke is a member of the U.S. Climate Action Partnership, an association of businesses and nonprofit groups that has lobbied Congress to act.

A Duke Energy Corp lobbyist?? Wow… you have to know when you have a lost cause when even the special interest lobbyists see the hand writing on the wall.

Just a few months ago, cap and trade legislation looked promising in Congress. Now, the financial stress that could put on businesses is making not only the original skeptical members, but even some serious supporters thinking twice….

Sen. John Warner, R-Va., a lead sponsor of a Senate bill to curb greenhouse gases that failed this year, acknowledged that the economy could delay when reductions in carbon dioxide would start.

Warner told the AP that any bill should allow the president to decide.

“We must continue to think and devise a piece of legislation that will enable the president of the United States to control timing … dependent on the president’s analysis for the ability of the economy to assume the financial burdens,” he said.

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Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe, the senior Republican on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, in a blog entry this month criticized 152 House members for releasing a set of principles to tackle global warming in the midst of the economic turmoil.

“The current economic crisis only reinforces the public’s wariness about any climate bill that attempts to increase the costs of energy and jeopardizes jobs,” Inhofe said.

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, took the argument a step further when he said the Boucher-Dingell bill could lead the country “off the economic cliff.”

Remember that “let the POTUS” decide bit. Because trust Mr. Taxpayers’ Moneybags, aka Barack Obama, to try and spin the math as a money maker… with support from at least one DNC faithful guppy.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama supports auctioning off all permits, using the money to help fund alternative energy.

“If you see this as a job creation opportunity for the U.S. to develop the products that are then sold around the world, then you should be optimistic about what the impact of passage would mean for the American economy,” said Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass.

Fuzzy math, indeed. Obama’s never found it difficult to spend other people’s money. He’s an expert at raising it, and most definitely blowing it out the door at almost the same rate of speed.

Considering that the permanent jobs created by wind and solar farms are nominal, the cost of construction, the lawsuits by environmentalists filed, and the increased cost to Joe six-pack for the resultant energy, I’d love to see just how these fast talkers get to this “jobs” and financial boost nonsense.

But some fast talking we’re about to hear. There’s a lot of the high and mighty with serious money invested into what they thought was a good thing… guaranteed support to push thru legislation in every corner of the globe that would cement their financial business plans.

But I guess that “do or die” AGW can be put off after all. Funny how those priorities can be so quickly triaged. Because, you see, demand for oil will go down because luxury travel will no longer be affordable. Conservation instead of investing in expensive energy plans will take the place of expensive, feel good enviro-crap cures.

Which means that the latest victim of the financial crisis may be the luxury item of “climate change”… and perhpas with it, those that thought they were riding an unstoppable tsunami of fortune.

But worry not for the financial waif, Al Gore… I’m sure Obama will have an health insurance plan for him when he goes bust. He’d have a heck of a time selling his mansion… but then maybe a President Obama will renegotiate his mortgage for him.

But wait’ll he sees his tax bill for his over $250K income.