News What would it take the US to sign a protocol?

[Schrodinger's Dog]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita

Some additional info courtesy of wikipedia: I think per capita emissions is more pertinent than actual overall emissions. Although they both have relevance obviously.

Note China and Indias per capita output is tiny compared to the US's too. In 109 and 85 out of 182 countries with the US not first but in 7th.

I think we are agreed that the US cannot stand by it's policy of non reduction? You can say China 'til your blue in the face and kyoto does nothing too, but there should at least be a will to cut emissions even if there is no will to sign, I really can't understand how anyone with a clear conscience can get behind US policy on this.

At least under Kyoto, further cuts and more drastic measures are an option so it is a dynamic treaty with potentially greater benefits as time goes by. I think the US should never say never to that too. Kyoto's not perfect but what the US is doing isn't even rational, let's not even get into the moral implications of economics. There is mounting internal pressure on the government I hear but will it be enough?

I was wrong about the EU it's roughly 2.2 billion tonnes of CO2 more, which is even more worrying. About 296 million population US to 456 million population EU

 

[Gokul43201]

I don't think the US has made any attempts to change the treaty since then. What would be the point? - it has already been written and signed, and unlikely to be changed after that. The time for negotiations is when the treaty is being drafted.

I thought there was provision for subsequent revisions, particularly with respect to the countries that should belong in Annex I.

A second review of subparagraphs (a) and (b) shall take place not later than 31 December 1998, and thereafter at regular intervals determined by the Conference of the Parties, until the objective of the Convention is met.

And let me rephrase an earlier question.

Many years after implementing a "Russ Climate Control Protocol", which of the two cases below do you see as closer to the steady state picture :

(i) All developed/developing countries emit at roughly the same gross rate, irrespective of size,

(ii) All developed/developing regions emit are roughly the same per capita rate.

PS : Going by current trends on emissions and GDP, by the time China reaches the gross emission rate of the US, it will have more than twice the US GDP.