Australia rejects Kyoto treaty

CNN ^ | 6/5/02

[finnman69]

CANBERRA, Australia (Reuters) --Australia, the world's largest coal exporter, will not ratify the Kyoto climate change treaty aimed at cutting greenhouse gas emissions, Prime Minister John Howard has confirmed.

Australia's rejection of the Kyoto treaty on Wednesday comes a day after Japan ratified the treaty and urged nations like Russia and the United States, the world's biggest polluter, to sign up.

[finnman69]

Big Auzzie Bump!

[rintense]

Way to go, mates! Now what about the socialist... er, um, liberals in NZ? What will they do?

[FourPeas]

"It is not in Australia's interests to ratify the Kyoto protocol," Howard told parliament.

"For us to ratify the protocol would cost us jobs and damage our industry. That is why the Australian government will continue to oppose ratification," Howard said.

Good for him. He understands the underlying politics of Kyoto.

[dead]

I thought Australia rejected Kyoto over a year ago.

Oh well, if they want to stick another knife into it's rotting bloody carcass, good for them.

[brbethke]

I love the embedded editorializing:

...the United States, the world's biggest polluter...

Really? There are open-pit coalmine fires burning in China and India that dwarf American exhaust emissions, and have for decades.

[TontoKowalski]

Under the pact, industrialised nations must cut emissions by an average five percent by 2012 from 1990 levels, but 55 nations producing 55 percent of world carbon dioxide emissions -- the main greenhouse gas -- must ratify the pact to make it binding.

I need a little help here...if the US doesn't ratify Kyoto, then how can it be binding on us?

In practical terms, did our refusal to ratify kill this monster regardless of what anyone else does?

[cake_crumb]

"Australia's rejection of the Kyoto treaty on Wednesday comes a day after Japan ratified the treaty and urged nations like Russia and the United States, the world's biggest polluter, to sign up."

China is the world's largest polluter. Kyoto is a socialist, Third Way, wealth distribution plan which will do NOTHING toward cutting emmissions of so-called greenhouse gasses. Good for Australia for trashing it.

I hate CNN.

[xrp]

It's probably just binding on those nations that have signed it. This way they can look good having signed it saying "hey we support Kyoto treaty!". Then the 55th signature is applied and they think, "oh crap...we didn't expect it to actually become binding...better get busy implementing..."

[VOA]

...open-pit coalmine fires burning in China and India that dwarf American exhaust emissions...

Don't doubt it (saw show on the very dirty steel/metal plant of China years ago).

Can you point us to any authoritative citations on this, if it's not too much trouble...

just to use for "ammo" as needed!

[kidd]

...Russia and the United States, the world's biggest polluter...

First of all, CO2 is not pollution

Second, if the amount of CO2 consumed by trees is taken into account, the United States and Russia are some of the biggest net consumers of CO2.

I hate CNN.

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

...the United States, the world's biggest polluter...

Mighty strong words for a news service that doesn't know a terrorist when it sees one (or employs one, for that matter).

Tim

[Southack]

Nice of the Aussies to join the U.S. in rejecting Kyoto, but the acrid smell of Leftists still pervades the article.

For one thing, while the U.S. is the largest consumer of power, it is not the largest polluter. That distinction goes to Asia.

Ah, but it just wouldn't be CNN if they actually got their facts straight...

[RightWhale]

Kyoto is actually in no ones interests, but politicians aren't expected to see beyond their main job of getting people to agree to do things no matter how ill-advised.

[The G Man]

To quote the Crocodile Hunter, "Aw, yeah ... thets a BEUUUTY!"

[DrDavid]

...Russia and the United States, the world's biggest polluter...

Why don't they compare the water quality of the Great Lakes to Lake Bykal, which combined represent 60-70% of world's fresh water. You will find that the water in Russia's lake isn't as clean. Is this a result of Communism vs. Capitalism?

[Free the USA]

Bump list

[brbethke]

Can you point us to any authoritative citations on this, if it's not too much trouble...

A quick search turned up the following:

• A UN Development Programme paper on industrial air pollution in China; a bit dry reading but loaded with fascinating facts
• A BBC article, China Battles Coal Fires
• Another BBC article, Pollution Hits Rural Poor Hardest, which reports on a UN World Health Organization study that found some surprising results

Like I said, this is just for starters. Happy reading.

[dixiechick2000]

This is fantastic! Good on ya', Aussies!

[cake_crumb]

I was going by an article on a yellow cloud of pollution and dust which wafted from China, across the Pacific and across the continental US the year before last...we get 'em every year...the outfit studying it mentioned in passing that China is now the world's largest polluter...I'll see if I can find it.

[cake_crumb]

Getting pressed for time, but here's a pretty good resource. Hope it helps.