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Tribute to
Chairman Chow
The US and the Kyoto Protocol
First in Emissions, Behind
in SolutionsThe US has the
technologies, but lacks the commitment to address
It has the denial, and lacks the
responsibility.
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According to the US Department of
Energy, most electricity generation in the US is from
fossil sources, of which, 50% is from coal. Coal is more
carbon-intensive than oil.
United States is the top
greenhouse gas emitter (before 2007). It
questioned the rationale behind the exclusion of China and India
from the legal binding of the Kyoto Protocol to reduce emissions as they are
significant greenhouse gas emitters based on total
emissions.
Developing countries including
China, India, Brazil have all
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along claimed their legitimate rights to
developments, citing their low emissions per capita, and accuse
the developed countries being responsible for the global
warming. A report, released at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) Aug 2002, remarked that the US, as the wealthiest
country in the world is well equipped to address global warming, but
has failed to take any significant steps to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. The United States has not even set up a system for reporting and
monitoring greenhouse gas emissions or a central office to study and
recommend policy alternatives for addressing emissions reductions,
the report said.
US and the
Kyoto Protocol? :
Vice President Al Gore was a main
participant in putting the Kyoto Protocol together in 1997. The
then President Bill Clinton signed the agreement in 1997, but the US
Senate refused to ratify it, citing compliance would bring potential damage to the US
economy.
Bush promised to control carbon dioxide emissions during his presidential
campaign. However, in
2001, he pulled the US out of the Kyoto Protocol as one
of the first acts of his presidency, dismissing it as too costly,
millions of jobs would be lost, and "an unrealistic and
ever-tightening straitjacket."
President Bush later set his alternative targets by
offering incentives to businesses that reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 4.5%
which is much
lower than the originally committed 33%. This had raised strong criticism
globally:
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Al Gore in response called this act "a stunning display of moral
cowardice."
Worldwatch Institute: "Kyoto's ability to survive the
near-fatal attacks of the Bush administration is testimony to
the urgency of the climate problem."
Laurie David, Natural Resources Defense Council :"As the world celebrates the global
warming pact's debut, Bush continues to pander to the energy
industry."
Kevin Rudd of Australia, (then
opposition leader) urged the United States to
ratify the Kyoto protocol for it to be ale to tackle climate
change.
Asian and European nations
have strongly criticized Bush's decision too.
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The Future of the Kyoto
Protocol:
Obama Affirms Climate Change Goals
(NYTimes /2008/11/19)
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“Now is the time to confront this challenge
once and for all, we cannot afford more of the same
timid politics when the future of our planet is at stake. Global
warming is not a someday problem, it is now.” Mr. Obama said. “The
science is beyond dispute…Delay is no longer an option.
Denial is no longer an acceptable response.” “My presidency will mark a new chapter in
America’s leadership on climate change
that will strengthen our security and create millions of new jobs in
the process,” Mr. Obama said. |
President-elect Barack Obama,
in strongly-worded remarks repeated
his campaign vow to reduce climate-altering carbon dioxide emissions by 80
percent by 2050, and invest $150 billion in new energy-saving technologies.
The first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol will
end in
2012, to be continued into the second
phase. Preparatory conference was held in
Bali in Oct 2008, for
the final accords to be reached in
Copenhagen in 2009.
The political reality is that few are prepared to be committed
prior bindings on US and the major emerging economies of China,
India and Brazil.
From points of view of
total carbon emissions,
carbon emissions per capita,
or growth rate
of carbon emissions, contrasting sets of
figures set challenges facing the world in searching
for fair and equitable solutions. While the US
questioned the rationale behind the exclusion of China and India
from the legal binding to reduce emissions, developing countries
including China, India, Brazil while claiming their relatively
low emissions per capita, claim their legitimate rights to
developments which they have been lagging behind, and accuse the
developed countries being responsible for the global warming.
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