Some time ago, I heard a great description of the modern-day environmental movement. I have no idea who said it the first time, but the metaphor is absolutely perfect. The modern environmental movement is like a watermelon — it’s green on the outside, but (communist) red on the inside.

I’d like to thank Venezuelan president-cum-dictator Hugo Chavez for proving this point this week at the international climate change summit in Copenhagen, Denmark.

As the Toronto Star reported, Chavez called capitalism the “silent and terrible ghost” that haunted the Copenhagen summit. In a 25-minute speech, he railed on capitalism by calling it the “road to hell” responsible for poverty, murder, AIDS and unfair climate agreements.

While Chavez’s speech was despicable on its own, perhaps even more upsetting is the standing ovation he received from the audience at the summit. These people may say they want to “save the planet,” but what they also want to do is cut developed capitalist nations like the United States down a peg.

A major problem with the environmental movement, and indeed many scientific movements, is that there are major financial incentives available for those who “win” the debate. It may be an overused phrase, but there is considerable “wealth redistribution” being discussed at this purported climate change summit.

The Guardian newspaper of London, England, reported that Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. would consider contributing to a $100 billion annual fund to “shield poorer countries from the ravages of climate change.” This fund would be instituted by 2020, and was first suggested by Ethiopian prime minister Meles Zenawi. Amazingly, The Guardian further reported, “It is much lower than many developing nations say is necessary to help them adapt to climate change and develop green technologies.”

So, essentially, the people of this nation have already spent billions in private and taxpayer dollars to meet countless Environmental Protection Agency regulations, plant millions of trees, and engage in endless “Earth Day” or green events, but it’s apparently still not nearly enough. If there’s anyone who should be getting paid, it should be the U.S., which has already done more than its share to protect the environment and help nations in the Third World.

Look, we all want to save the environment. There’s no joy in living on a planet where the air is too dirty to breathe and the water too polluted to drink. But let’s find meaningful, common sense solutions that don’t allow socialist pirates like Chavez and Zenawi to plunder the wealth of successful capitalist nations.