Although Imperious Leader certainly takes advantage of the situation, this goes far beyond his administration. Saving the environment has been used as a cover for those whose intentions are to curtail the economies of developed countries, the U.S. in particular for a long time at every level, right on up to and including the U.N., which has admitted that environmental policy is used to redistribute wealth to those they feel are more deserving.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2010/11/18/u-n-official-admits-we-redistribute-worlds-wealth-by-climate-policy/