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International-UN-NGOs
Kyoto Accord Comes Into Force; Countries Must Cut Gas Emissions
2005-02-16
The seven-year-old Kyoto Protocol comes into force today, binding 35 nations and the European Union to cut their emissions of greenhouse gases in an effort to combat global warming.
Is it just an effort or will it combat global warming? Sounds like they aren't sure
Under the protocol, developed countries agreed to cut by about 5 percent from 1990 levels emissions of six gases that scientists say cause the Earth's climate to warm.
Non-developed countries can pollute till their heart's content.
So can we. Bwa-ha-ha.
Kyoto comes into force 90 days after Russia's approval, ensuring the required threshold was met for ratification by countries accounting for 55 percent of emissions. The U.S., the world's largest producer of the gases, hasn't accepted the pact.
And God Gaia willing, we never will.
``This shows that the majority of the world can work together to tackle one of the biggest global challenges, climate change, said WWF European Director of Climate and Energy Stephan Singer in a telephone interview yesterday from Brussels. ``We need to see increased and strengthened caps for industrialized nations and we need to broaden the participation of developing countries such as China.
Does the European Director of Climate issue the weather reports too? I'll bet they're really accurate in Europe.
Global warming caused by human action is the root of all evil rising sea levels, melting ice caps and more erratic weather patterns, scientists at a conference in Exeter, southwest England, said earlier this month. British Prime Minister Tony Blair has made dealing with climate change a priority of the U.K.'s presidency of the Group of Eight industrialized countries this year.
Why doesn't he just make everybody in England walk. It's a lot smaller country. Perhaps he should make only the English walk since they're the rich ones. Scots and Welsh can still drive.
So can Barbra Streisand.
Japan today will host an event in Kyoto to mark the entry into force of the treaty. Speakers at the occasion, which starts at 6:30 p.m. Japanese time, will include Wangari Maathai, winner of last year's Nobel Peace prize and Kenya's deputy environment minister, and Joke
That's his name!
Waller-Hunter, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change should have a joke for a Director, because the whole thing is one.
Euros and the Japanese want to run their economies into the ground, well okay, but we're not going with 'em.
Posted by:Jack Bauer

#15  Ok, you all, I am now much more educated than I was before (and I was anyway already anti-Kyoto... so there!). I've saved all the sites you gave me, and this thread, too, for future reference. Well taught, all!
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-02-16 7:07:16 PM  

#14  All you need to know
Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom   2005-02-16 4:45:04 PM  

#13  TW, we have been in a Ice Age for the last million years or so. The term Interglacial refers to a relatively short term retreat of the ice within the Ice Age. I.e. we are in an Interglacial and in an Ice Age.
Posted by: phil_b   2005-02-16 2:38:34 PM  

#12  Kyoto Accord Comes Into Force; Countries Must Cut Gas Emissions

Heh. So all you politicians, STFU!
Posted by: mojo   2005-02-16 11:04:34 AM  

#11  The Senate has never voted on ratification because it would have made Clinton/Gore look like fools to the international community. In 1999 the Senate voted 95-0 to pass a resolution which stated that the Senate would not ratify unless developing countries such as China and India were included in the program.
Posted by: Tom   2005-02-16 9:34:20 AM  

#10  Didn't the Senate take a preliminary vote on the treaty, sort of to see what would happen if Bill had sent it to be ratified? And if so, notice how that never seems to turn up in the coverage.
Posted by: Uneagum Wheremp9442   2005-02-16 9:18:31 AM  

#9  WWF European Director of Climate and Energy Stephan Singer: "We need to see increased and strengthened caps for industrialized nations..."
The game is just starting and already he's raising the stakes. Typical enviro-lobbyist. Lobbying is his career -- he'll never be satisfied. At best, he'll just drone on until he either gets an EU job or retires. At worst, he'll find a brand new tree-hugger cause to promote.
Posted by: Tom   2005-02-16 8:44:32 AM  

#8  TW, that depends on the geological time scale. If you take quarternary as a whole, thus far you can call it an ice age.



As you see here, we're approximately in the second half of an interglacial peak. There may still be a few warmer spikes, but there is a likelihood that the cold period is around the corner (2-4K years).
Posted by: Sobiesky   2005-02-16 8:30:58 AM  

#7  "...after 2 years everyone will be dismissing it as unreachable...."

...But only after saying that it's because of the US.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2005-02-16 7:36:20 AM  

#6  Are you sure we're in an ice age, phil? I thought this was an interglacial period. I mean, wasn't the point supposed to be that the situation could tilt either way, depending on who could talk faster -- either a new ice age or catastrophic global warming?
Posted by: trailing wife   2005-02-16 7:21:42 AM  

#5  I found this interesting article on CO2 over geological timescales. The money quote is - The Carboniferous Period and the Ordovician Period were the only geological periods during the Paleozoic Era when global temperatures were as low as they are today. To the consternation of global warming proponents, the Late Ordovician Period was also an Ice Age while at the same time CO2 concentrations then were nearly 12 times higher than today-- 4400 ppm. According to greenhouse theory, Earth should have been exceedingly hot. Instead, global temperatures were no warmer than today. Clearly, other factors besides atmospheric carbon influence earth temperatures and global warming. BTW the also an ice age refers to the fact we are currently in an ice age.
Posted by: phil_b   2005-02-16 2:08:45 AM  

#4  Here is a good graphic that shows compliance with Kyoto (2002 data). Of the developed economies only the UK and Swden are under their Kyoto targets, but it makes it clearer where the fudge is coming from. Eastern Europe is mostly far below their targets (becuase cheap energy from the Soviet Union stopped), so they will trade carbon credits and claim Kyoto worked to reduce CO2 emissions. Which of course is complete nonsense.

I've found out that countries measure Kyoto compliance by measuring the amount of energy they consume. If Kyoto were working, demand for oil and coal would be falling and consequently the price. In a separate development the world's largest coal producer said it would more than double the price of coal.
Posted by: phil_b   2005-02-16 1:00:54 AM  

#3  That thing will be like the EU Lisbon Agenda, after 2 years everyone will be dismissing it as unreachable....
Posted by: Ebbeaque Flainter8998   2005-02-16 12:46:38 AM  

#2  This is a brief summary of Kyoto. What I don't understand is that most of the signatories have absolutely no chance of meeting their Kyoto obligations. While data on actual emissions is difficult to find (suprise, surprise) most/all the signatories except Russia and Ukraine are already way over their CO2 targets (Spain by 40%, Canada by 25%) and the only way they will reach their targets is by a massive economic contraction (which may happen). So why sign up to a treaty they can possibly conform to?
Posted by: phil_b   2005-02-16 12:23:27 AM  

#1  Article: ``This shows that the majority of the world can work together to tackle one of the biggest global challenges, climate change, said WWF European Director of Climate and Energy Stephan Singer in a telephone interview yesterday from Brussels.

The World Wrestling Federation has a Director of Climate and Energy?
Posted by: Zhang Fei   2005-02-16 12:14:12 AM  

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