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Killing Kyoto - The world climate is changing.
NRO ^ | December 07, 2005 | Nick Schulz

Posted on 12/07/2005 2:28:27 PM PST by neverdem

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Killing Kyoto

The world climate is changing.

By Nick Schulz

A curious thing is happening at this year's annual United Nations conference on climate change. The nasty anti-Americanism on display in years past is largely absent. To the contrary, there's a seriousness of purpose and an acknowledgement of difficult realities that's unprecedented.

To give just a small example, one of the big topics of discussion to have emerged this year is something called "adaptive capacity." That's a fancy way of saying that some countries are better equipped and able to respond to both natural and manmade changes in climate.

At this conference, demands for unrealistic and economically harmful cuts in greenhouse gases, such as those outlined in the Kyoto Protocol, have been blunted. Instead, consideration is being given among delegates, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), bureaucrats, and politicians to bolstering adaptive capacity.

The World Health Organization, a U.N. agency, released a paper on adaptive capacity that is being discussed here. The paper's researchers created a ranking system of countries, placing them on an "adaptive capacity index." The WHO chose several variables in determining where the countries would rank, including criteria such as whether or not a nation has universal health insurance, how robust its economy is and how much access to information it enjoys.

In the paper, the researchers published the rankings of 19 select (mostly European) countries. On this list of countries, Luxembourg was ranked as having the highest capacity for adapting to changes in climate, while Albania was last.

Going down the list, I wondered just how much a country's adaptive capacity was a proxy measurement for other critical factors in a nation's success, such as its level of freedom or whether or not it enjoys good governance.

To find out, I cross-referenced the countries' adaptive capacity ranking with their rankings in two other well-known indices: the Heritage Foundation's Index of Economic Freedom and Transparency International's Corruption Index, a measure of good governance. I also combined the freedom and good governance rankings to establish a crude "total" freedom/good governance score. A low total score means a country is, relatively speaking, free and well governed. A high score means it is relatively unfree and badly governed.

The results, charted below, are striking.

Adaptive Capacity          Heritage                        Transparency                 Total

Index

1. Luxembourg               (3)                                (13)                               16

2. Norway                      (29)                               (8)                                37

3. Germany                   (18)                               (16)                               34

4. Netherlands               (17)                               (11)                               28

5. Italy                          (26)                               (40)                               66

6. France                      (44)                               (18)                               62

7. Czech Rep.               (33)                               (47)                               80

8. Hungary                    (35)                               (40)                               75

9. Slovak Rep.               (36)                               (47)                               83

10. Lithuania                  (23)                               (44)                               67

 

11. Poland                     (41)                               (70)                               111

12. Latvia                      (28)                               (51)                               79

13. Croatia                    (74)                               (70)                               144

14. Bulgaria                   (52)                               (55)                               107

15. Kazakhstan              (130)                             (107)                             237

16. Estonia                    (4)                                (27)                               31

17. Romania                  (125)                             (85)                               210

18. Turkey                     (112)                             (65)                               177

19. Albania                    (67)                               (126)                             193

The top-ten ranked countries on the select adaptive capacity index — starting with Luxembourg and ending with Lithuania — all had total freedom/good governance scores well below 100. The remaining countries — starting with Poland and ending with Albania — typically had very high freedom/good-governance scores, with some over 200.

In other words, freedom and good governance, beyond being desirable in their own right, arguably contribute to a nation's ability to adapt to climate change. As such, any strategy to tackle vulnerability to climate change should emphasize expanding freedom and fighting corruption.

It's no secret that the United Nations has struggled with corruption lately. And its critics maintain, not without evidence, that it is at best a fair-weather friend of freedom. But perhaps its sincere concerns about combating the threats raised by global warming will prompt it to push harder to expand freedom and promote good governance and transparency around the world.

Nick Schulz is editor of TechCentralStation.com.


 

 
http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/schulz200512070823.asp
     



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Canada; Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Editorial; Germany; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: climatechange; kyoto; kyotoprotocols

1 posted on 12/07/2005 2:28:27 PM PST by neverdem
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To: neverdem

.G?t.>?haps its sincere concerns about combating the threats raised by global warming will prompt it to push harder to expand freedom and promote good governance and transparency around the world."

The UN? Oh, please. This is some sort of joke, right?


2 posted on 12/07/2005 2:31:13 PM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: neverdem
But perhaps its sincere concerns about combating the threats raised by global warming will prompt it to push harder to expand freedom and promote good governance and transparency around the world.

Bwahaaahaa! Your killing me doc.......

3 posted on 12/07/2005 2:32:12 PM PST by Brett66 (Where government advances – and it advances relentlessly – freedom is imperiled -Janice Rogers Brown)
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To: neverdem

"But perhaps its sincere concerns about combating the threats ...' = "But perhaps its sincere concerns about milking more $ from the US..."


4 posted on 12/07/2005 2:36:39 PM PST by dynachrome ("Where am I? Where am I going? Why am I in a handbasket?")
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To: Brett66

"At this conference, demands for unrealistic and economically harmful cuts in greenhouse gases, such as those outlined in the Kyoto Protocol, have been blunted. Instead, consideration is being given among delegates, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), bureaucrats, and politicians to bolstering adaptive capacity."

The bureaucrats are giving up on kyoto {they know we ain't playing in their sandbox} so now they have come up with "adaptive capacity". This is a subjective set of numbers that will allow them to assign a country "good or bad" numbers. Bullship. Who gives a rat's butt.


5 posted on 12/07/2005 2:45:13 PM PST by USS Alaska (Nuke the terrorist savages - In Honor of Standing Wolf)
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To: neverdem

6 posted on 12/07/2005 2:51:10 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
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To: neverdem
"The WHO chose several variables in determining where the countries would rank, including criteria such as whether or not a nation has universal health insurance,"

Shows what a farce the climate change thing is -- nothing more than a gimmick to advance Marxism.

7 posted on 12/07/2005 2:52:34 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
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To: dynachrome
How true...we are expected to take severe criticism and disrespect from most member-nations and then pony up "because we have it" (the money) The UN should be on their last legs, only a matter of time and this failure will be history. Sorry Bill Clinton, your campaign for Sec'y Gen'l is all for naught.
8 posted on 12/07/2005 2:53:25 PM PST by BatGuano
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To: BenLurkin
I cannot take anything the UN says as credible until they clean up their own house. In fact, they should be suspended as a world body until they straighten out.

And I will sit down and wait for their reply.

9 posted on 12/07/2005 3:01:36 PM PST by Thebaddog (K9 4ever)
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To: BenLurkin

What the heck does universal health insurance have to do with climate change (and, BTW, I still don't buy "man-made" climate change)? Free sunscreen for those global warming days? Free mittens for the next mini-ice age?


10 posted on 12/07/2005 3:14:57 PM PST by hsalaw
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To: hsalaw

If we ever get a global tax -- that is the day I stop working.


11 posted on 12/07/2005 3:16:10 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
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To: neverdem

http://www.junkscience.com/


12 posted on 12/07/2005 3:27:53 PM PST by cope85
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To: BenLurkin

International Cooperation:
The United States is engaged in extensive international efforts on climate change, both through multilateral and bilateral activities. The President’s FY 2006 Budget includes $198 million for international climate change assistance. Multilaterally, the United States is by far the largest funder of activities under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The President’s FY 2006 Budget contains $5 million for the UNFCCC and IPCC. We remain fully engaged in multilateral negotiations under the UNFCCC, and have created or worked to revitalize a range of international climate initiatives within the last two years, including the following programs:

Methane-to-Markets Partnership: Announced by the EPA in July 2004, the Methane-to-Markets Partnership is a new and innovative program to help promote energy security, improve environmental quality, and reduce greenhouse-gas emissions throughout the world. The Partnership will work closely with the private sector in targeting methane currently wasted from leaky oil and gas systems, from underground coal mines, and from landfills. EPA estimates that this Partnership could recover up to 500-billion cubic feet of natural gas (50-million metric tons of carbon equivalent) annually by 2015. Capturing and using “waste” methane will provide for a new energy source that stimulates economic growth and reduces global emissions of this powerful greenhouse gas. The United States will commit up to $53 million to the Partnership over the next five years. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, Colombia, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nigeria, Russia, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom joined the United States in launching the Methane to Markets Partnership at a November 2004 Ministerial meeting in Washington, DC. The private sector, development banks, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations are encouraged to participate in the Partnership through becoming a member of the Project Network. For more information, please visit http://www.epa.gov/methane/international.html and www.methanetomarkets.org.

International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy: Announced by the Secretary of Energy in April 2003 to implement internationally the goals of President Bush’s Hydrogen Fuel Initiative and FreedomCar Partnership, the United States hosted the first Ministerial meeting of the International Partnership for a Hydrogen Economy in Washington, D.C., in November 2003. The Partnership’s 15 countries and the European Union (EU) are working together to advance the global transition to the hydrogen economy, with the goal of making fuel-cell vehicles commercially available by 2020. The Partnership will work to advance research, development, and deployment of hydrogen and fuel-cell technologies, and develop common codes and standards for hydrogen use. For more information, please visit www.eere.energy.gov/hydrogenandfuelcells/international_activities.html.

Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum: The United States hosted the first meeting of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF) in Tysons Corner, Virginia, in June 2003. CSLF is focused on the development of improved cost-effective technologies for the separation and capture of carbon dioxide for its transport and long-term storage. The purpose of the CSLF is to make these technologies broadly available internationally, and to identify and address wider issues relating to carbon capture and storage. CSLF, which now includes 15 countries and the EU, held its second Ministerial meeting in September 2004 in Melbourne, Australia, where ministers approved 10 capture and storage projects as well as a Technology Roadmap to provide future directions for international cooperation. For more information, please visit www.fe.doe.gov/programs/sequestration/cslf/.

Generation IV International Forum: The United States has led the development of the Generation IV International Forum, a multilateral partnership fostering international cooperation in research and development for the next generation of safer, more affordable, and more proliferation-resistant nuclear energy systems. This new generation of nuclear power plants could produce electricity and hydrogen with substantially less waste and without emitting any air pollutants or greenhouse-gas emissions. Since the Forum was formally established in July 2001, the United States has led the development of a technology roadmap, and increased support for R&D projects carried out in support of the Forum’s goals. For more information, please visit http://gen-iv.ne.doe.gov/intl.html.

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership: Formed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, in August 2002, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) seeks to accelerate and expand the global market for renewable energy and energy-efficiency technologies. As the world’s largest producer and consumer of renewable energy, and with more renewable energy generation capacity than Germany, Denmark, Sweden, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom combined, the United States is one of 17 countries who are partners in REEEP. The United States also actively participated in the Renewables 2004 conference sponsored by the German Government in June 2004, and submitted five action items intended to provide specific technology plans and cost targets for renewable energy technologies using solar, biomass, wind, and geothermal resources.

Regional and Bilateral Cooperation: The United States has negotiated agreements with major international partners to pursue research on global climate change and deploy climate observation systems, collaborate on energy and sequestration technologies, and explore methodologies for monitoring and measuring greenhouse-gas emissions. Since June 2001, the United States has launched bilateral partnerships with Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama, the EU, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, and South Africa on issues ranging from climate-change science to energy and sequestration technologies to policy approaches. The countries covered by these bilateral partnerships account for over 70% of global greenhouse-gas emissions.

Global Environmental Facility: Global Environmental Facility: The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) is the financial mechanism under the UNFCCC. The United States contributes more than any other country to the GEF. The FY 2006 request for the GEF includes $25 million for climate change-related programs, roughly 23% of the total request for GEF ($107.5 million). This commitment will fund technology transfer and capacity building in developing countries.

Tropical Forest Conservation Act (TFCA): As of May 2005, eight countries have TFCA agreements: Bangladesh, Belize, Colombia, El Salvador, Panama (two agreements), Peru, the Philippines, and Jamaica. These agreements are offered to eligible developing countries to relieve certain official debt owed the United States while at the same time generating funds to support local tropical forest conservation activities that store carbon. These agreements will generate over $95 million for tropical forest conservation in countries over the life of the agreements.

President's Initiative Against Illegal Logging: On July 28, 2003, the Department of State launched the President’s Initiative Against Illegal Logging, developed with the objective of assisting developing countries in their efforts to combat illegal logging, including the sale and export of illegally harvested timber, and in fighting corruption in the forest sector. The initiative represents the most comprehensive strategy undertaken by any nation to address this critical sustainable development challenge, and reinforces the U.S. leadership role in taking action to counter the problem and preserve forest resources that store carbon. For more information, please visit www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2003/22843.htm.






This site is managed by the Bureau of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of State.


13 posted on 12/07/2005 3:35:22 PM PST by cope85
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To: cope85

That is very discouraging.


14 posted on 12/07/2005 3:39:52 PM PST by BenLurkin (O beautiful for patriot dream - that sees beyond the years)
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To: BenLurkin

don,t lisen to what they said,watch what they do


15 posted on 12/07/2005 3:45:47 PM PST by cope85
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To: BenLurkin

I am on pp 229 at the moment.


16 posted on 12/07/2005 5:38:26 PM PST by razorback-bert
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To: neverdem

Well... for years I've been saying if global warming is a real phenonemon, and if it is actually a threat to civilization (two big ifs)... then the best way to deal with it is through free markets and free individuals who can innovate and quickly adapt. Speaking for myself - I grew watermelons last summer and I'm about 200 miles south of the Arctic Circle. Global warming won't be the end of my world.


17 posted on 12/07/2005 8:40:29 PM PST by redpoll (redpoll)
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To: cope85

Exactly.


18 posted on 12/08/2005 5:40:19 AM PST by satchmodog9 ( Seventy million spent on the lefts Christmas present and all they got was a Scooter)
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