signed today.
Do you feel the US (and Australia) were wrong to join in? Do you feel that they should have made more effort? Or are they better off going it alone because China hasn't signed either?
What do you think the US is better at than Europe and other countries regarding looking after the world we live in?
I most certainly do not think that the US has ANY sort of record for protecting the environment we live in. The United States is run as a corporation.. Business controls everything. All is directed to selling as much of everything to as many people is as possible.
I was reading "I'm a stranger here myself" by Bill Bryson when he commented on the United States appaling record of preservation of the natural world.
It was stated than in a lifetime, a person living in the US will consume twice as much resources than a person living in Europe. A study was carried out asking whether an indiviual would forego a certain amount of economic growth if it meant that the environment in which we live was better protected, every country except the US commented that they would be willing to give up a small amount if it meant preservation was a higher priority.
In practically every house in Europe their is a timer to switch off hot water in the middle of the night. I do not think I know how to turn off my hot water, or of it is even possible.
Someone (I do not who, or why) calculated that it would take 2 power stations to provide the energy just to power all the computers and lights that are left on overnight.
The US has 5% of the worlds population and consumes 20% of its resources, it looks like with its economic expansion, China is going the sameway, I think this is why driving a truck around in the future is going to be a touch more expensive than it is now.
I don't think the treaty has been signed today, I think it finally came into force. As I understand it the trety required a minimum number of nations to ratify it before it came into force. Russia ratified it earlier this year. As an aside this ratification is of interest; the USA tried to pressurize Putin not to alow ratification, the EU and Germany in particular leaned on him to do so.
The fact that the EU won out is a reflection of the comparative influence of the EU and the USA and follows on from the similar process for the ICC treaty and the farago at the UN over the Iraq war. America is not as powerful as many think it is - including Bushie, and 'Old Europe' isn't a irrelevant as some on this side of the Atlantic would like to think.
As to Kyoto; I think that a huge problem in the USA is that generations of cheap energy have bred a culture of excessive energy usage. If its cold they turn up the heating rather than put on a sweater; many condo complexes prohibit people from drying laundry outside because it is unsightly and, as I mentioned before, the thermal insulation standards for new buildings are a joke.
Whereas expensive energy in europe caused people to buy smaller cars, insulate their homes, put timers on the heating systems etc.
What was interesting last year was that as Gas prices went up car manufacturers reported slower sales for big SUVs and trucks and more interest in smaller cars and Hybrids. whether this continues remains to be seen. But it is clear that what needs to happen here is for energy cost to increase significantly so that people are forced to consider fuel efficent methods of heating there homes or getting around.
Politically this is sticky, no politicians is going to advocate higher fuel prices, but America's declining clout in the world might well force the issue. Both India and China are signing exclusive deals for natural gas and Oil - excluding the US and US companies and thus US influence of fuel prices around the world. As those economies grow and suck in more resources, Americans will have to face reality.
Of course from the perspective of global warming and pollution all we will do is shift the problem from the US to China, India and elsewhere.
Of interest is the CO2 trading system that is now in place. On NPR this morning I was listening to a trader from TN, now based in London who was saying that the US has now excluded itself from a major development in world economics. Perhaps global capitalism might drag the Bushies in?