Commentary: Thoughts on ICLEI’s Strategy for 2010 - 2015
By Kris Hallis
for Citizen Review Online
September 26, 2011
After reading through the document posted at ICLEI's website entitled "ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability - Preparing for Tomorrow - Strategy 2010-2015." They make some very huge claims about Human expansion, urbanization, global environment change and humanities ecological footprint.
Let’s take the global environmental change claim of “every twenty minutes, a plant or animal species becomes extinct.” This would be 3 species per hour, 72 species per day, 26,280 per year. Just figuring since Jan. 1st 2010, to today (Sept. 26, 2011) that would be 45,648 plant/animal species becoming extinct.
Their next statement is that “Up to half of the presently existing species may become extinct by 2100. Starting from Jan. 2012, at 26,280 per year times 88 years, that would be 2,312,264 species becoming extinct.
Where do they come up with these figures, as there are no footnotes to point to any kind of science whatsoever. They don’t back them up, just make the statements.
Under the category of Global environmental change they also state that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the air has risen from pre-industrial level of 280 parts per million to 380 ppm today. How in the world did they measure the ppm from the pre-industrial age? There were no measurements of those types taken back then, so how did they perform this test?
Under their ecological footprint of humanity, they state that if “we continue using natural resources and producing waste at current rates by the early 2030’s we will require the resources of two planets to meet our needs.” Again, blanket statements, no proof offered.
Under their Responding to change-leading on change they call for rapid action, radical solutions. Does this sound like Hitler or Stalin? They include a definition of radical in their footnote: 1. Going to root. 2. Departing markedly from the usual or customary; 3. Favoring or effecting fundamental changes in current practices, conditions, or institutions.
Under section VII. Our goals and programs:
They will support their Members in “taking rapid, transformative action and applying radical solutions to become sustainable, planet-friendly…”
Their initial campaigns have evolved to cover a broader range of themes which include:
*Management of global environmental goods: Climate, Biodiversity, Water, Food
A. Since when was the climate considered a “good”?
They state they want to manage (control) both water and food. Does this set off any bells?
*Municipal planning and management
*Transformation of infrastructures and
*Policy innovation
Under Municipal planning we have: land use, and procurement
Infrastructure: transport, building, energy
Policy innovation: security and social development
These are partial lists, but procurement at local levels, security and social development are all socialism, no private property, they provide security (remember the SS?) and social development, remember the Nazi Youth and indoctrination?
Take a look at the adjectives & verbs that abound in this document:
ICLEI is a “growing Association”
A High-energy, flexible MOVEMENT that will take local paid membership leaders in a
“Global concert“, “pathfinder“, “leader“,” accelerator“, “connector“, “new champion“, position
That is going to:
Raise and support “pioneers”, drive, innovate, request, enhance, convince, advocate, measure, create, devise strategies, “accelerate action and pursue more radical solutions”, transform, encourage, promote, Act as custodian, register and report, etc.
This seems to be the key:
All in all their strategy is participation in “performance-based programs”. They will “request” that members commit to rapid and radical action, and that they document progress, and report on achievements.
There are many items in the document where the local government members are to be documenting, capturing, and reporting information to the ICLEI leadership; they are to partner in developing a framework for unified measuring and reporting of select sustainability performance indicators. This is by the local politicians or appointeees that have paid dues to become members of this organization, who are supposed to be representing us-the folks. This is total takeover of our rights and privileges, not just big brother, but BIG BROTHER ON STEROIDS. They will have total control in such capacities, like the Germans in WW2 era reporting on their neighbors.
Is this where we want our county and city to be? Run by whom?
Skip down a few pages to Goal 8: Healthy and happy communities
“The ultimate goal is for local communities to enjoy health and happiness. Whether on a modest or more affluent economic footing, local governments must promote community vitality, health, education, culture, and good governance.”
Let’s take a look at this, shall we?
This is because your local governing bodies have volunteered to join and pay dues to ICLEI.
The local governments MUST promote community vitality, health, education, culture and good governance.
And presumably report on such…
Exactly who decides these norms? Do you want someone from the UN dictating what education your children get, what culture they get? What if the local governing bodies don’t measure up to the ICLEI standards, what happens then?
They go on in their goals to purport something called social sustainability. What is this exactly, and does it sound like Hitler/Stalin again…fall in line or else?
The last bullet point in the Healthy and happy communities section:
Support local governments in introducing a local “happiness index” drawing on the Kingdom of Bhutan’s experiences with replacing GDP through “Gross National Happiness”.
WHAT??????? This would be humorous if it wasn’t so scary. If you are not “happy”, then what, beatings, beheadings, what is the penalty for unhappiness and who decides that particular quotient? You can be sure that this is not what the phrase “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is about.
All the mentioned workings of the stated goals of ICLEI are in direct conflict with the US Constitution and Declaration of Independence. They are asking members to commit to their stated goals, usurping the Constitution. Members of ICLEI are asked to adopt the Earth Charter Principles as a condition of membership. Please read them to get a perspective of where this is going.
ICLEI Principles: The association shall promote, and ask its individual members to adopt the following Earth Charter Principles to guide local action:
1. Respect Earth…
2. Care for the community of life…
7. Adopt patterns of production, consumption, and reproduction that safeguard Earth’s regenerative capacities, human rights and communal well being.
Sadly, it is 16 items long.
It is a real eye opener, the word "earth" is capitalized such as God would be. This is scary stuff, and has anyone tracked the progress of the Earth Charter and it’s ark lately? They have made a copy strikingly similar to that of the Ark of the Covenant of the Bible and have sent this thing on its way around the globe with their Earth Charter in it.
These people are serious about their doctrines and principles. When they say radical, they mean just that.
As another point of discussion, you can to on their website and see who their Funders and Partners are, some of the names included on these lists are:
Siemens, The Kaiser Foundation, The Turner Foundation, The US Dept. of STATE, The US Environmental Protection Agency, Waste Management, Center for American Progress (George Soros), Clinton Climate Initiative (Bill & Hill), Lawrence Berkeley Nat’l Lab, NOAA, Nat’l Wildlife Federation, Sundance Preserve (Robert Redford), US Env. Prot. Agency (again), World Mayors Council on Climate Change, Nat’l Assoc. of Counties, Nat’l League of Cities, plus many, many others. Several of these are funds from the US government-our tax dollars at work. How does this make you feel? Violated?