Keepitsimple Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Kyoto has done a valuable service in alerting the world to an issue that deserves attention....but its political and economical framework is unworkable. Here's an article by Lorrie Goldstein - his third of three: link: http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Goldstein_Lorrie/ January 16, 2007 More Kyoto crimes China, set to build 562 new coal plants, is exempt from the rules By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Where is the political party in Canada that will take us out of the Kyoto accord, since the deal is an impending economic disaster for us? When the Liberals under Jean Chretien signed the Kyoto accord in 1998 and, more important, ratified it in 2002, they committed Canadian taxpayers and consumers, without consultation, to one of the most radical programs for reducing greenhouse gases on Earth, with no idea of how to achieve it. Canada, the world's ninth-largest emitter of man-made greenhouse gases (2.1% of all emissions in 2000), faces cuts no other major industrialized (and northern) country agreed to -- 6% below 1990 levels by 2012 -- which the Grits had already missed by 35% when they were tossed from power a year ago. By contrast, the U.S., the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gases (20.6%), refused to ratify Kyoto because of concerns about the harm it would do to its economy. China, the second-largest emitter (14.8%) and India, fourth-largest (5.5%), don't have to cut emissions because Kyoto classifies them as "developing" countries. Russia, the third-largest emitter. (5.7%) has lots of room to emit more greenhouse gases and sell carbon or "hot air" credits to other countries -- like us -- solely because its economy collapsed in the early 1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union. Australia, the world's largest per capita producer of man-made carbon dioxide emissions because of its reliance on coal, would be able to increase emissions by 8% above its 1990 levels, if it ratified Kyoto, which it hasn't, fearing major job losses. While the nations of the European Union (14% of all global emissions) accepted Kyoto reduction targets of 8%, they insisted on being treated as a collective in order to benefit from the collapse of the East German economy after the fall of the Soviet Union. The news for Canadian taxpayers and consumers only gets worse. Even if we were to meet our Kyoto targets for 2012, which would have a huge negative impact on our economy because we're now 35% behind, it won't matter. China, India and the U.S. -- none of them restricted by Kyoto -- are planning to build more than 850 new coal-fired energy plants over the next few years. China alone is planning 562. (Burning coal emits more greenhouse gas, linked to global warming, than oil or natural gas, the world's two other major fossil fuels.) Two years ago, the respected Christian Science Monitor (CSM) did an in-depth analysis of the implications of this planned coal-fired plant construction in China, India and the U.S. It estimated these 850 plants will put five times more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than Kyoto is designed to remove, even if every other country, including Canada, miraculously hits its Kyoto target. Even if new plant construction was limited to only those with a start date, it would still mean putting over twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as Kyoto, fully implemented, would remove. Kyoto's defenders argue developing countries like China won't be exempt from emission targets forever, but first need to be shown that the developed world, which has put the lion's share of man-made greenhouse gases into the atmosphere up to the present (85%) are serious. On that, China, has a point. But the problem is it opposes any global say over its energy policy, which it considers purely a domestic issue. Plus, sometime after 2015, the developing world is expected to produce more than 50% of all global greenhouse gases. MINIMIZE JOB LOSSES Sorry, but I'm interested in Canada reducing its own greenhouse gas (and smog) emissions through technology paid for and developed by Canadians, to minimize job losses here as we do it. I'm not interested in buying "hot air" from Russia, or convincing China to "go green" by throwing my money at it for various "carbon sink" projects. I suspect most Canadians would feel that way, if any party -- including Stephen Harper's ruling Conservatives -- honestly told them what Kyoto really says. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leafless Posted January 16, 2007 Report Share Posted January 16, 2007 Kyoto has done a valuable service in alerting the world to an issue that deserves attention....but its political and economical framework is unworkable. Here's an article by Lorrie Goldstein - his third of three:link: http://www.torontosun.com/News/Columnists/Goldstein_Lorrie/ January 16, 2007 More Kyoto crimes China, set to build 562 new coal plants, is exempt from the rules By LORRIE GOLDSTEIN, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Where is the political party in Canada that will take us out of the Kyoto accord, since the deal is an impending economic disaster for us? He must be talking about the same party that has given special charter rights to troublesome Quebec and Aboriginals. Ha-ha-ha, to late. Canada has been extremely Liberalized to the point Canada spins on doing no harm, only good, according to extreme Liberalism. But the article is correct. Kyoto is NOT Canada's baby, nor invention as Canada's total greenhouse gas contribution is under 2%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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