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| Down Under |
| Australia would be "crazy" to approve Kyoto - govt |
| 2004-10-01 |
| CANBERRA, Oct 1 (Reuters) - Australia would be "crazy" to ratify the Kyoto protocol because it would hike power prices and cost the country jobs, Industry Minister Ian Macfarlane said on Friday after Russia moved to approve the climate change treaty. Macfarlane told Reuters in an interview that the Kyoto treaty -- aimed at cutting the emission of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming -- could not work because key emitters like the United States, China and Indonesia would never sign up. "Russia has been flirting with this for a while and it's really got more to do with them getting access to the European Economic Union," Macfarlane said. "They are really doing it for their own reasons, not as part of some global drive to reduce greenhouse gases and that really exposes the fundamental flaw in Kyoto," he said. Despite not signing up to the pact, Macfarlane said Australia, which accounts for 2.5 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, was on track to meet its Kyoto target of restricting any increase in emissions to eight percent by 2012. "The potential for an increase in the costs of electricity to consumers in Australia and an obvious potential to have industry driven offshore to non-Kyoto ratifying countries means we would be crazy (to ratify the pact)," Macfarlane said. "Until there is a system including all countries aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, not simply allowing people to trade away their sins by buying carbon credits or selling their emissions, then really the whole Kyoto system is flawed." Australia's energy resources are a major source of the nation's wealth, with energy exports worth over A$24 billion ($17.5 billion) a year and the sector employing 120,000 people. Australia is the world's largest exporter of coal, and supplies eight percent of world trade in liquefied natural gas. But although Australia's conservative government is adamant it would not ratify the agreement, the country's main opposition Labor party has vowed to approve the Kyoto treaty and set up a carbon trading regime if it wins a tight Oct. 9 election. "We need national leadership, this is a big issue for Australia," Labor leader Mark Latham told Australian television. "We're at risk of losing our national icons, our natural assets, and (that's) all the more reason for Australia to follow the international pattern, become part of Kyoto, become part of the effort against global warming. The move to approve Kyoto by Russia, which accounts for 17 percent of world emissions, takes the pact a step close to being enforced worldwide. Kyoto becomes binding once it has been ratified by 55 percent of the signatories, which must altogether account for 55 percent of developed countries' carbon dioxide emissions. The pact, so far ratified by 122 nations, has met the first condition. But they account for only 44 percent of emissions. |
| Posted by:Mark Espinola |
| #12 AP, Kyoto has degenerated into exactly that. I'm all for emission reduction and we should actively push for that. But the way Kyoto goes about it will not work. If you want to make this work, devise a bonus scheme for every country that produces less emissions than the year before... encourage modernizing of industries. Kyoto right now is just a big dirty air bazaar. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-10-01 8:09:42 PM |
| #11 So, TGA, Russia has a money making scheme with Kyoto and the EU and other industrialized |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-01 8:04:18 PM |
| #10 Putin's move makes a lot of sense. After all Russia's emission limit was calculated on what they produced in... 1990. Since their economy has slumped so much ever since, they will actually make huge profits with Kyoto... selling emission shares worth up to 22bn dollars. Should Russia reach the limits of 1990 again (which could happen in 2012) they can team up with Germany to work on joint emission reduction. The Germans (leading the field in that technology) would gain emission certificates by modernizing the Russian industry... and Russia sanitizes communities. And Putin probably gains access to WTO by signing Kyoto. Plus diverts criticism on his increasing authoritarian way of running Russia. |
| Posted by: True German Ally 2004-10-01 7:40:30 PM |
| #9 The Money Quote from MacFarlaine: "Until there is a system including all countries aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, not simply allowing people to trade away their sins by buying carbon credits or selling their emissions, then really the whole Kyoto system is flawed." He has it dead-on right! You improve the situation by raising everyone's standards, including developing nations. That way, everyone wins and you do it the right way from the git go in the developing nations. The Kyoto Treaty as it is is just a smoke and mirrors scheme that accomplishes little. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2004-10-01 7:27:16 PM |
| #8 Could the Kyoto Protocols also be known as "The Protocols of the Elders of the Econutballs"? |
| Posted by: eLarson 2004-10-01 2:41:54 PM |
| #7 Very good, badanov. You are correct. But SPoD has guessed incorrectly: "Many news stories in 1997 referred to Kerry's support of Kyoto, undeterred by the Massachusetts senator's vote with 94 other senators [in 1995] for a resolution that directed President Clinton to not agree to a global warming pact that exempted developing nations. (Veep Al Gore ignored the Senate and agreed to a pact that exempts China, India and other developing nations from any pollution caps, while requiring the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 7 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.)" Source. Kerry and the Senate voted against Kyoto in 1995, 95-0, and now he tries to club Bush with it. |
| Posted by: Tom 2004-10-01 12:25:02 PM |
| #6 Well duh! That makes three countries that pretty much rejected Kyoto (Russia, US, and Australia). Seems to me that President Bush had the right direction al along and it's Kerry that is WRONG WRONG WRONG! |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2004-10-01 10:54:24 AM |
| #5 Well seeing how he rarely shows up for work a good guess would be no he didn't. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-01 8:31:56 AM |
| #4 The only senate vote for Kyoto was in 1995. It was 95-0 against. No idea iffin Kerry voted. |
| Posted by: badanov 2004-10-01 8:30:20 AM |
| #3 Kyoto is on Shikoku Island... A super duper big one in 2-5 years. Kyoto will be gone. Just wait it out and then one can say: "Whadda heck ya' talkin' 'bout? There's no Kyoto! |
| Posted by: Conanista 2004-10-01 8:08:21 AM |
| #2 Kerry doesn't care if he wrecks our economy or our national defence. Just like the opposition in Australia. International liberal socialism is more than nations or people. The "little people" (thats us) are to stupid to understand that. |
| Posted by: Sock Puppet of Doom 2004-10-01 8:07:31 AM |
| #1 Kerry slipped in a Kyoto jab last night. Bush should have torn his throat out, but Bush was too busy staying on topic. Did Kerry vote to ratify Kyoto? Who else is on that short list of morons out of 100 senators? |
| Posted by: Tom 2004-10-01 8:00:35 AM |