China Open To Post-Kyoto Framework
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.12.07
Via MSNBC: -TOKYO - China said Wednesday it will take part in negotiations on a framework for limiting global warming after 2012, when the Kyoto climate treaty expires. In the statement issued after a meeting between visiting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the two sides expressed "political will" to work towards resolving the climate change issue through international cooperation. "The two sides will ... actively participate in the process on building an effective framework from 2013 and beyond," they said in the document. Image credit: NASA; Chinese dust storm heads into Sea of Japan
That's very cool.
I was chatting with someone about this recently, and what many people fail to understand about the rising emissions of the developing world is that over there, growth can mean the difference between starving or living a miserable life and being comfortable. Here in the west, it can mean the difference between 2 and 3 cars.
Many people were claiming that China and India should have been forced to the same commitments as others in the first phase of Kyoto, but is it really the same for China as Europe to go 6% below 1990 (or something like that)?
Of course I think the developing world should leapfrog over our mistakes and go directly to clean technologies, but if someone has to make some cuts right now, it is us first and then them...
But the developing world really is the crux of the matter relative to Kyoto. At some point you have to make value judgments on how critical of an issue Global Warming (or Climate Change) is. If it really is the most important issue facing the world and you believe the projections being publicized, cutbacks in the developed world won't make a significant difference.
That's the problem with Kyoto. On one hand it says this is the most critical issue facing us but on the other hand it dials back developed countries only enough to stave off disaster for a few decades (and allows questionable offsets) and doesn't even address the developing world where emissions are growing most rapidly. Also, although Kyoto seems to say this is our most critical issue, it apparently isn't critical enough to look at politically incorrect solutions like expanded nuclear power.
I personally feel the global warming impact is exaggerated but should be addressed rationally. Turning off a light or two won't solve the problem. For a logical approach to global warming, do a web search for the the Princeton "Stabilization Wedges" approach.