Recent ‘Copenhagen’ guest commentary misinterprets liberty

Publication Date: 12/01/2009

Dear Editors,

The guest columnist piece on the Copenhagen Treaty (Nov. 23) betrays a dangerous misunderstanding of liberty. It is founded on the mistaken belief that liberty is only possible when one is completely ungoverned by law. The authors conclude that law is an infringement on liberty; they shudder at international law that “claims regulatory power over all nations.” In fact, law is the foundation stone on which liberty rests; it is the safeguard of the weak against the mighty, without which life would be “nasty, brutish and short.” Only by agreeing to play by the rules can we live our lives together in peace.

The Copenhagen Treaty is about playing by the rules in a game where everyone has a lot to lose – but not all equally: North America will suffer the effects of climate change, but poor states like Bangladesh could be almost wiped out. It is because actions of the U.S. could severely affect other less powerful countries around the world that it has a responsibility to international law.

Who exactly are the “many scientists” that disagree that atmospheric carbon dioxide causes global warming? And who could deny the fact that humans are rapidly emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? The authors should get out of the U.S. bubble to see that in Europe, for example, climate change is taken seriously; even conservative parties face up to the issue.
The authors complain that “(The U.S.) could be charged solely on the basis of someone else’s perception.” Well, if the U.S. had paid more attention to the perception of other nations and to international law, it might not now be engaged in such disastrous wars. Going it alone without regard for the rest of the world is a sign of arrogance, not freedom.

Lloyd West

Graduate student