The Kyoto Protocol, and the Lack of Consciousness

"There is such a thing as a global conscience," Martin said Wednesday at the UN Conference on Climate Change.

"Now is the time to listen to it. Now's the time to join with others in our global community. Now is the time for resolve, for commitment and leadership and, above all, now is the time for action. Because only by coming together can we make real and lasting progress."

The above statement was made today by the Canadian prime minister. The country he is referring to is the US, and comment is made regarding their lack of participation in the Kyoto protocol.

The Kyoto Protocol “is an international treaty on climate change…Countries which ratify this protocol commit to reduce their emissions of carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases, or engage in emissions trading if they maintain or increase emissions of these gases.”

While the majority of industrial nations signed, the US senate thought “the United States should not be a signatory to any protocol that did not include binding targets and timetables for developing as well as industrialized nations, or would result in serious harm to the economy of the United States.”

Why is the US involvement really important? Well, because they are the number one producer of Green House Gases (GHG). These gases are responsible for global warming, which threatens to destroy many coastal cities across the world, including major US cities like New York.

The main opposition to the Kyoto Protocol comes from the United States and Australia. The reason for their opposition is mainly economic. Both countries claim that implementing the protocol would set back their countries’ economies. They claim that the overall economic surplus created by the reduction of greenhouse gases, does not outweigh the deficit created by changes required by the protocol.

This is a prime example of the short-sightedness of politicians and their economists. In my opinion, the governments who are refusing to join in, are not analysing the long term effect of global warming. By long term I mean 100 or more years. While these politicians think that the world revolves around money, they do not realize that the world has to stay intact in the first place for their transaction to take place.

I am not an expert in climatology, but I think the record setting hurricane season that just passed, stands as proof of major climate changes that are happening and will continue to happen in the future. For every action, there’s an equal and opposite reaction, is a law of nature. By dumping excessive amounts of CO₂ into the atmosphere, we can only expect nature to act and balance the equation.

So what was the response to the Prime Miniter’s comments?

According to CTV news “The Bush administration, reports suggest, was furious at the suggestion -- considering it an infuriating, if cheap, electioneering ploy focused solely on Canada's Jan. 23 vote.”

I say call it whatever you want, as a Canadian I fully support Canada’s commitment to the Kyoto Protocol, and I’m doing my part to meet the challenge.

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