Wikileaks: Our suspicions confirmed

Cables reveal U.S. bullying in climate talks and underplay of tar sands’ environmental impacts

Just climate treaty held hostage:

The stakes are high in the climate negotiations for the United States and their allies. The “diplomatic” cables released this past week by Wikileaks provide insight into the bullying tactics used by U.S. negotiators. The leaked cables show how the Obama administration used its foreign aid budget to bribe some developing countries into supporting a deeply flawed climate proposal called the Copenhagen Accord, which could set the world on a path to devastating levels of global warming — up to nine degrees Fahrenheit by this century’s end. This is just the opposite of fair engagement on the climate crisis President Obama promised when seeking office. You can take action and sign our petition asking Secretary Clinton to start acting as a constructive force in international climate negotiations.

According to the Guardian news analysis, “The US diplomatic cables reveal … how financial and other aid is used by countries to gain political backing … and how the US mounted a secret global diplomatic offensive to overwhelm opposition to the controversial ‘Copenhagen accord.'”

Particularly significant to the negotiating dynamics in Cancún are the relationships cultivated by the United States government with key developing countries that they use to divide strong political blocs, including the African group and the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS).

Read more about U.S. diplomatic bullying in the climate talks.

Environmental impact of Tar Sands ignored:

A diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks also revealed that a U.S. diplomat warned the Obama administration about significant environmental impacts stemming from Canada’s controversial tar sands oil production program. The language in the cable contradicts recent statements by U.S. State Department officials, including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, that underplay the environmental impacts of tar sands oil while defending a proposed pipeline that would bring the extremely polluting oil from Canada to the U.S.

All this follows Friend’s of the Earth’s recent letter that urged Secretary Clinton to recuse herself from the approval process, due to her leading remarks that she was inclined support the pipeline. Wikileaks is yet another indicator that the State department should no longer oversee on the Keystone XL decision.

Read our press release about Wikileaks and the Keystone XL.

Related: Shell’s grip on Nigerian State revealed

Read a report by the Guardian about how cables reveal Shell Oil bought influence and infiltrated the Nigerian government.