Before China surpassed the US as the world’s greatest emitter of greenhouse gases and carbon dioxide, the US had occupied that great dishonor. Passing the bucket and finger-pointing soon ensued. For a while, there even was some childish stand-off, with one country threatening to lower CO2 emissions only if the other does the same. China says that rich countries should take the lead in cutting down carbon emissions. A total lack of sensitivity and concern for the world that both countries had managed quite neatly to pollute.
The United States refuses to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, claiming that such an agreement will harm American big business (or that which actually runs America). It also drew attention to the allegation that this climate change accord does not demand the same provisions from emerging economies the same way it apparently does with the US. China, India, and other quickly developing nations have signed the Kyoto Protocol but have not agreed to uphold the demands of the accord, arguing that these demands will put a strain on their respective country’s development and progress. China is infamous for its greenhouse gases that primarily come from coal combustion. It, however, refuses to commit a cut in emissions because the country’s booming economy needs coal for energy. The great polluters of this pitiful planet are not willing to clean up their act.
Fresh-faced tyro president Barack Obama has declared that he wants the US to lead in the fight against global warming, vowing to mandate emission caps, and hence, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 percent by 2050. However, emissions of greenhouse gases in the U.S. have risen by 14 percent since 1990. If the US ratifies the Kyoto Protocol, it would have to reduce the rate by 6 percent. If we do the math, the climate change accord does not necessarily reverse climate change.
Via Yahoo! News
