This is said to be a joke in Europe. "Question: What will a stingy man do on a cold day? Answer: He will sit in front of a lamp. Question 2: What will a stingy man do on a much, much colder day? Answer 2: He will light the lamp." The joke is that we don't know the lamp is unlit until the second question. However, given the overuse of fire in modern times, we can't laugh at the man's stupidity. Recent climate change will make people believe that being stingy is better than destroying the Earth.
At the COP25 international conference in Spain, many people have commented that the cause of such problems as frequent mega typhoons, forest fires and floods is "nothing but global warming."
These criticisms hit home for Japan, which relies on coal-fired thermal power, as well as the United States, which is withdrawing from the Paris Agreement despite being a huge producer of greenhouse gas, and China, which does not take an active stance on effective measures. Prominent high school climate activist Greta Thunberg was reported to have headed for the conference by yacht. This shows her dedication, as taking an airplane or passenger ship will emit greenhouse gas.
Normally, this column is cautious about fanning flames, but this time, we encourage her to send a strong message. Here too, the unilateralism of the superpowers is formidable.
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