Representatives from 166 nations and interested parties opened talks in Bonn, Germany today to begin negotiating a successor to the Kyoto Protocol.
I’m a South Carolinian, where the state motto is, “while I breathe, I hope,” so I hope the delegates fully understand the faults with Kyoto and avoid similar mistakes.
What should they do differently? Don’t exclude China, for one thing.
Actually, I don’t see post-Kyoto through the same lens as this group of 166 or whatever they wish to be called. America’s got to lead, and/but China’s got to follow.
China isn’t entitled to a free pass, particularly since they’ll soon surpass the U.S. in carbon emissions. If the world is to be effective on greenhouse gasses, China has to be part of the solution. If the U.S. is to remain a growing economy and competitive in the global marketplace, China must accept the same carbon-restrictive obligations as we do. If we are going to encourage American businesses and entrepreneurs to develop new energy technologies, China’s marketplace must be open to these U.S. innovations – but with rock-solid assurances that American intellectual property will be respected.
I don’t believe in using China as an excuse not to act on greenhouse gasses. I just think China’s a reason to do it the right way.
This entry was posted on Monday, May 7th, 2007 at 4:50 pm and is filed under Uncategorized . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 7th, 2007 at 7:41 pm
Remember that, even when China passes the US in carbon emissions that 1) per person Chinese emissions will be 1/4th that of the US and 2) the 100+ ppm of CO2 already in the atmosphere is roughly 10X more American than Chinese. That historic CO2 is not going anywhere in my lifetime and the historic CO2 is melting the glaciers today, etc.
Yes the Chinese need to restrain their growth in CO2 emissions; but it is only fair and equitable for the USA to take the lions share of actual reductions.
Should Chinese worker be denied upgrading his bicycle to a small scooter; or should Hummers and Escalades be taxed off the road ?
Should the Chinese worker be denied an 8 or 10 cubic feet refrigerator while Americans still build poorly insulated 2,580 sq ft (US average new home) air conditioned homes ?
If I were Chinese, I *KNOW* WHAT MY ANSWER WOULD BE !
I would say, adopt the minimum German building standards in the US (Germans cannot get a building permit without R-49 walls, etc.) and we will build even more subways (17 planned in Shanghai) and nuclear plants and increase appliance efficiency standards in China. And restrain the growth of air conditioning.
If the US will increase fuel economy on new cars, we will increase our standards for cars and motorcycles.
But we will NOT deny the minimum modern comforts to our hard working people ! And the US, given it’s history and current excesses (I would snidely mention that the US cannot even pay for their supersized everything without loans from China). The US MUST reduce their CO2 emissions dramatically and China will hold theirs steady for a few years and then slowly decline.
It is ONLY just and fair to China !
It is useful to put yourself into the other sides shoes.
alan
May 10th, 2007 at 5:21 am
Thanks, alan, for reaffirming my belief that this global warming nonsense is a lot of hooey, the purpose of which is further the agenda of the one world socialists who wish to increase the standard of living of the third world at Americas expense.
Of course I would agree with you if I were Chinese. Most people in most nations would naturaly put their own self interest above the interest of other nations. But I am an American, so its my answer that counts. And it is this. I am tired of being told that its my fault that we have global warming because I have air conditioning in my house, that its my fault that there is global warming on Mars for whatever reason, and how much better off the world would be if I lived in a 1 room shack with no indoor plumbing and with r49 insulation and walked to work. China wants to be the most powerful nation on Earth. The communist dictatorship over there is not going to tolerate a bunch of ex-hippies protesting in Peking over CO2 emissions. The PLA is not going to hinder their industrial capacity over CO2 emissions. As a sovereign nation it is their right and responsibility to their people to be strong and prosperous, a concept that seems to be lost on the US government and the intellectual elites of this country.