Thursday 2 May 2013

Germany celebrates its export successes while indoctrinating children in poor countries against "cars, buses and factories"


Promoting Germany's industrial exports is one of the most important activities of Angela Merkel's government: 
In Germany, industrial exports are seen not merely as the consequence of the competitiveness of the economy, but as a goal in themselves. A brand is an object of pride, for the left and the trade union movement as well. It’s also insurance against demographic decline, as investing the trade surpluses will help in part to cover Germany’s social expenditures in the future.

And Angela Merkel is making that outbound voyage. Since 2007 the Chancellor has made no less than 274 trips abroad: 168 within Europe, 59 to Asia, 29 to North America, 11 to Africa and seven to Latin America. Even little Moldova was entitled to a visit. In this crammed itinerary, China occupies a special place. In the last six years, the Chancellor has made no fewer than six lengthy official visits there, including two in 2012, spending time both in Beijing and in the provinces. Clearly this isn’t happening by accident. In the past 10 years trade between the two countries has shot up from €36bn to €144bn, with China becoming Germany's third-largest trading partner

However, the same German government is also promoting and financing a campaign to indoctrinate children in the Pacific region against "cars, buses and factories"  in the name of fighting (non-existent) human caused "climate change"  :

 6,000 copies of the children’s story book “The Children Take Action – a Climate Change Story” were today handed over to the Permanent Secretary for Education for delivery to all primary schools in Kiribati. The Curriculum Development and Resource Centre (CDRC) will use the book to improve literacy skills in te-Kiribati and English. In addition, the story book will help children learn, in a very simplified way, the basics of climate change and its impacts on our environment. For example: 
 
"Jone didn’t know what climate change was and asked his grandfather to explain. Grandpa told Jone that the Earth’s temperature is becoming hotter. “My temperature gets hot when I am unwell,” said Jone. “Yes!” said Grandpa. “The Earth is becoming unwell too. There is less food for the birds and the fish. That is why they are leaving our island.” “What is making the Earth sick?” Jone asked. “We are,” said Grandpa. “Gases from our cars, buses and factories are making the Earth too hot.” “People are driving more cars and building more factories. So the Earth is getting hotter and hotter.” “Just like putting too many blankets on me!” said Jone."

The story was developed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and 1500 copies were printed with funding from the Australian International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative. The book has since been translated into te-Kiribati and 6360 copies printed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)/Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Coping with Climate Change in the Pacific Island Region Programme (SPC/GIZ CCCPIR on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ).

The German government rightly takes pride in the country's global export success, which "will help in part to cover Germany’s social expenditures in the future". But one can only wonder why the same government wants to deny poor people in developing countries the same access to industrial and economic development.  

There is a fine word that explains what this is all about: Hypocrisy

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