We all know the United States pays far too much to keep the UN running. It is a waste of U.S. taxpayers’ money. President Donald Trump wants to lower significantly the amount paid each year to keep the doors of the UN open.
I have a simple solution that will also save the planet. Each country should henceforth pay its UN dues in direct proportion to its previous year’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
That would immediately lower the U.S. contribution from 22% to less than 16%. China, by contrast, would have to step up its contribution from less than 8% to to more than 28% of the cost of the UN.
The Russians would also have to have more skin in the UN game. Their contributions would increase from 3% to about 4.5%.
Countries like Iran, Saudi Arabia, and India, which now pay next to nothing towards the UN, but do most of the talking there, would suddenly join the top ten contributors. That would be a just method of making those countries pay-to-play, so to speak.
Japan, the UK, France and other OECD countries would also bear far less of the cost of keeping the UN going.
How could anyone reject this plan? After all, CNN, MSNBC, and Al Gore all agree that CO2 emissions are important to the global community.
And there is nothing more important than paying a country’s fair share of running the UN, which is the most prominent global organization.
Of course the Chinese, Indians, Saudis, and Iranians will find a way to punish Israel, which only accounts for 0.22% of global CO2 emissions but has historically paid 0.5% of the cost of running the UN. Israel has already cut its UN contributions by $6 million after the Obama administration helped engineer the anti-Israel vote at the UN Security Council a month ago.
Still, under my proposal, the U.S. could save over a hundred million dollars a year and help promote action on climate change, as well as awareness of the dangers of CO2 as a greenhouse gas. There is enough hot air at the UN already.
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