To poke fun while warning of this folly, the National Center for Public Policy Research is handing out T-shirts that display a photo of a Great Depression soup line and read, “My government went to COP 15 and all I got was this lousy economy.”

“The shirts aim to remind COP15 participants of the economic damage inherent to carbon reduction mandates. Adhering to restrictive carbon emissions standards will result in skyrocketing energy prices and devastate the economy,” said David Ridenour, vice president of the National Center for Public Policy Research. “While the fat cats in government can easily sign onto a feel-good environmental agreement, average people will be left to cope with the economic consequences.”

Numerous studies have demonstrated that efforts to reduce carbon output inflict substantial costs upon and harm to average citizens. Analyses of American carbon reduction proposals, such as cap and trade, have yielded forbidding findings.

“Negotiators in Copenhagen have the luxury of dealing with the hypothetical. When it comes down to it, however, real people are struggling. Adding additional burdens is misguided,” said Caroline May, a policy analyst at the National Center for Public Policy Research. “The situation makes for a fun t-shirt, but it is the grave message behind the parody that is most important.”

The National Center for Public Policy Research’s David Ridenour, Tom Borelli and Deneen Borelli are in Copenhagen.

The National Center for Public Policy Research can be visited online at www.nationalcenter.org.