Kyoto's Big Con

["David Farber" <dave () farber net>]

  _____  

From: Atkinson, Robert [mailto:rca53 () columbia edu] 
Sent: Thursday, January 19, 2006 10:58 AM
To: dave () farber net
Subject: Kyoto's Big Con

 

Dave:

 

Today's Wall Street Journal had an interesting editorial arguing that the
United States is doing better than many countries to reduce greenhouse
emissions. It will undoubtedly enrage those who think or wish the opposite.
Excerpts follow:

 

Kyoto's Big Con
January 19, 2006; Page A14

The Kyoto environmental protocol committed nations to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions. By this standard, the pact's biggest fans, the Europeans, are
failing. And what about the U.S., the global villain for withdrawing
approval of the accord in 2001? It's doing very well, thank you.

Let's go to the latest numbers from the European Environment Agency in
Copenhagen. Most European countries have seen an increase in greenhouse gas
emissions since signing Kyoto with great fanfare in 1997. No fewer than 13
out of the 15 original EU signatories are on track to miss their 2010
emissions targets -- by as much as 33 percentage points, in the case of
Spain.

Or consider Denmark, home of the EU's environmental watchdog. Rather than
reduce levels by 21% as the accord stipulates, Denmark has so far notched a
6.3% increase in emissions since 1990, the base year used in Kyoto. The
likely gap between its Kyoto commitment and its emissions levels projected
for 2010 is 25.2 percentage points.

****

The Bush Administration has continued a longstanding U.S. policy of pushing
states, municipalities and private industry to reduce emissions that
actually lower the quality of air and water. The U.S. thus saw a modest
decline in greenhouse emissions of 0.8% between 2000 and 2002, according to
data from the U.S. Department of Energy. Overall since 1990, American
greenhouse emissions are up 15.8%, but this still puts the U.S. far ahead of
many of its European and Asian critics. And this despite U.S. economic
growth (and increasing energy demand) that has far exceeded Europe's.

...Countries that reduce those emissions potentially damaging to health or
property do so by investing in cleaner technology. That is possible because
of policies that promote economic growth and business investment. Unhampered
by Kyoto targets, America's economy is more nimble and better able to adapt
to changing technology. We knew Kyoto was bad for the global economy. It
turns out it's bad for the environment as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Robert C. Atkinson

Director of Policy Research

Columbia Institute for Tele-Information (CITI)

office: 212-854-7576

mobile: 908-447-4201

 

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