What A Load Of Hot Air!

Climate change needs to be curbed... but not, apparently, at the risk of personal inconvenience. That mixed message came this week not from a self-proclaimed activist rock star, Hollywood actor or even former Vice-President Al Gore... but from Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations.

Here's what happened. Ki-moon gave a fiery speech Wednesday before the Climate Change Conference now underway in Bali, Indonesia, calling on world leaders to act immediately on climate change -- the gradual warming of the Earth, that many scientists and environmental activists believe is caused by carbon emissions.

Critics say the South Korean's message would carry added impetus, were it not for the fact Ki-moon is scheduled to leave Sunday on a jet-setting excursion to East Timor, Japan, and then New York to attend a concert, dubbed "Around The World In Eighty Minutes," where he will be the guest of honor.

The Daily Mail reports the flight from Tokyo to New York adds 4,300 extra miles to his trip -- "the wrong way," the paper adds, flying east-to-west -- and will generate tonnes of extra carbon emissions.

Which makes Ki-moon's call for the UN to mandate carbon offset programs all the more hypocritical -- or, timely. After all, his flight provides the perfect opportunity for Ki-moon to practice what he's preaching, by contributing to an environmentally-friendly project to offset his trip's perceived negative impact.

So far, no word on if that's actually happened.

FMI: www.un.org