EPA chief Whitman: Kyoto treaty is dead
I don't know enough about the Kyoto accords to speak intelligently on this (I don't consider the sound-byte reports on it to be sufficient), but I do think that simply to use the fact that it puts the main burden to restrict greenhouse gasses on the US and less of a burden on developing countries to do the same as justification for not ratifying it is nonsense. There may be other problems with it, and it's worth noting, as Whitman does, that no other industrialized nation has ratified it, but I still feel that the US should take the lead on this. We've taken the lead in industrialization and its harmful effects on the environment. Now that we're in a position to move beyond those harmful methods, it's childish to complain that the little guys who are still developing clean technology (or simply don't have the resources to implement them) need to do it at the same time. Taking a significant lead on this (and perhaps Kyoto isn't the way, but the issue isn't about to go away) is our best policy.
- posted by levinson @ 3/28/2001 08:20:00 AM