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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Putin's numbers man criticises Kyoto sign-up |
| 2004-10-05 |
| The chief economic adviser to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, has broken ranks with his own government, criticising the Russian cabinet's decision to approve the Kyoto treaty on global warming. In the old days, he'd disappear for doing that. Hmmmm. Andrei Illarionov called the treaty a "broad-based assault" on economic growth, the environment and on "human civilisation itself". HE gets it, even if the Western Euro wankers don't. Politics rather than economic or environmental considerations motivated the cabinet's decision last week to approve the Kyoto treaty, he said. The 1997 treaty allows the sale of surplus carbon credits, a surplus Russia expects to gain, and he suggested that well-connected Russians would seek to profit from credit sales. Companies with "very good, special and personal relations with particular government officials" had lobbied the Putin Government to ratify the treaty, Mr Illarionov said. But, but, but, that's so French! Guess the Russians are more Western than we thought. The treaty would create an "Orwellian nightmare" of "bureaucratic monsters" who would decide carbon limits country-by-country, and determine each country's economic potential. In other words, French with teeth. ANOTHER reason to tell the Kyoto klowns to stuff it. |
| Posted by:Barbara Skolaut |
| #6 Appeasers remorse? |
| Posted by: Capt America 2004-10-05 7:31:18 PM |
| #5 Don't worry, Andrei. Vlad will do what's been done in the past. Ratify it and ignore it when convienient. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2004-10-05 3:25:16 PM |
| #4 Yep. Kyoto is aimed directly at the US. If other countries fail to meet goals then little attention will be paid. If the US fails to meet goals then rabid environmentalists in the US will sue and the worldwide media will loudly decry the US failure to follow international law. If the goal of reducing CO2 is important (and in the long run I believe it is), then the US can implement policies for reducing CO2 production that make the best sense for the US. |
| Posted by: Anonymous5032 2004-10-05 12:35:40 PM |
| #3 Ed - you've got a point. The Western Europeans aren't meeting their goals. (And I'm sure somebody is going to hold a meeting to discuss appointing a committee to discuss it.) Why should anybody else? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-10-05 10:51:56 AM |
| #2 I think it's a good deal for Russia. In the short term Russia gets billions for doing nothing. When they develop enough to match their 1990 carbon dioxide levels, they can either ignore the limits (who is going to enforce it?) or repudiate the treaty. Money for nothing, and the chicks for free. |
| Posted by: ed 2004-10-05 10:36:25 AM |
| #1 Fred - I swear I put this on Page 2. Please redirect. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-10-05 10:20:59 AM |