Flagg wrote:
They [China] signed the Kyoto Protocol.
They have no choice but to comply.
No they don't. The PRC is not representative to anyone except those within the government. They can sign a treaty and violate it at will. They do not have environmentalist interest groups to deal with. Additionally the treaty provides wide exemptions to China that are not provided to the westernized democracies. What is the point of providing a dictatorship with such an economic advantage?
janicka wrote:
I think that just about everyone but the U.S. signed the Kyoto protocol. It's really an embarrassment to the Americans...
First off, there actually is an argument for not signing the treaty. Just because "most countries" (many of which do not have any intention of actually following it) signed it does not make it correct. Most countries apparently could care less in China invaded and annexed Taiwan but that doesn't mean the United States shouldn't be prepared to take action to prevent that.
The United States is not the only democracy not to sign the treaty. Japan, Australia, and Canada have decided not to become a part of it.
Also, European governments that did sign it are already failing to meet there own goals under Kyoto. How do proponents of the treaty propose forcing these countries to meet the goals without disrupting European economies?