NOVEMBER 22, 2018
UN environment chief resigns after travel revelations
By
Rick Moran
Here's a little UN hypocrisy with your turkey today.
The head of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Erik Solheim, has resigned amid some startling revelations about the frequency and expense of his travel.
Solheim really gets around.
Guardian:
The Guardian understands Solheim was asked to resign by the UN secretary general, António Guterres. Sources at the UN Environment Programme (Unep) said that countries unhappy with Solheim’s conduct were holding back tens of millions of dollars, threatening a financial crisis at the body.
A draft internal UN audit leaked to the Guardian in September found
Solheim had spent almost $500,000 (£390,000) on air travel and hotels in just 22 months, and was away 80% of the time. The audit said this was a “reputation risk” for an organisation dedicated to fighting climate change.
Gee...ya think? When even the UN recognizes the crummy optics of having someone in charge of climate change policy dumping CO2 into the atmosphere from jet exhaust, you know it's serious.
A UN staff union leader called some of the revelations “mind-blowing” and a prominent climate scientist accused Solheim of “obscene CO2 hypocrisy”.
Yeah - what he said.