In a December 13^th 'open letter' to U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, over 100 climate researchers, scientists, and academics encouraged the U.N. to stop fighting climate change. They noted that stopping climate change -- a natural phenomenon -- was an impossible task and they requested that international attention instead be turned to helping developing nations prepare and adapt for potential climate changes.

The signatories argue that focusing solely on CO₂ cuts in developed nations, rather than proposing substantive policy measures to improve economic conditions and development prospects in developing nations, is likely to impose further human suffering.

The letter also charges the U.N. and the IPCC with using outdated information in their latest climate science report and Summary for Policy Makers, refusing to recognize the growing chorus of dissenting opinions on the causes and potential impacts of climate change, and relying on computer models that are known to be incapable of accurately predicting climate changes.

The letter closes by encouraging the U.N. to focus on development and adaptation measures, instead of carbon emissions.

The UN climate conference in Bali has been planned to take the world along a path of severe CO2 restrictions, ignoring the lessons apparent from the failure of the Kyoto Protocol, the chaotic nature of the European CO2 trading market, and the ineffectiveness of other costly initiatives to curb greenhouse gas emissions. Balanced cost/benefit analyses provide no support for the introduction of global measures to cap and reduce energy consumption for the purpose of restricting CO2 emissions. Furthermore, it is irrational to apply the "precautionary principle" because many scientists recognize that both climatic coolings and warmings are realistic possibilities over the medium-term future.

The current UN focus on "fighting climate change," as illustrated in the Nov. 27 UN Development Programme's Human Development Report, is distracting governments from adapting to the threat of inevitable natural climate changes, whatever forms they may take. National and international planning for such changes is needed, with a focus on helping our most vulnerable citizens adapt to conditions that lie ahead. Attempts to prevent global climate change from occurring are ultimately futile, and constitute a tragic misallocation of resources that would be better spent on humanity's real and pressing problems.

The list of signatories to this letter can be seen here. The National Post also offers their editorial view on the recent UN Climate Conference in Bali and the above noted open letter.

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