Posted on 05/26/2004 9:17:58 AM PDT by presidio9
CANBERRA -- Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Wednesday reaffirmed the government's opposition to signing the Kyoto protocol on greenhouses gases, arguing it would harm the resources industry and cost jobs.
"Australia won't ratify the Kyoto protocol until ratification of that protocol will protect the long-term national interest of this country," Howard told parliament.
"We're not blinded by some mythical belief that by ratifying the Kyoto protocol you're going to bring untold benefits to Australia," said Howard.
He was responding to a question from major opposition Labor Party leader Mark Latham, who pointed to Russia's decision to speed up ratification of the environmental accord.
Washington pulled out of the Kyoto protocol in 2001, and Russia is now viewed as having the last word on whether the agreement, which is strongly supported by Europe, will ever be implemented.
The 1997 protocol commits industrialized nations to rolling back emissions of greenhouse gases - such as carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and methane gases - to 1990 levels.
Australia argued at the Kyoto summit that because it is a large producer of energy and commodities, it should get special treatment.
Under the protocol, industrialized countries were directed to reduce their emissions by an average of 5.2% below 1990 levels.
Australia extracted a deal allowing it to limit emissions to 108% of 1990 levels by 2008-2012.
But some members of the Australian business community have expressed concerns that Canberra's failure to sign the Kyoto protocol will leave local industry locked out of new energy trading arrangements and forgo opportunities in greenhouse technology development.
Howard restated that the pact is flawed because developing nations such as China aren't subject to the same rules as developed countries, while noting Australia in on track to meet its Kyoto emissions goal.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
GOOD!!!
BUMP!!!!!
ping
BTTT!!!!!!
I thought Russia had put the final nail in Kyoto's coffin?
Thank goodness!!! The Aussies have their share of left wing crazies infecting their government, too. This is a good sign. I sometimes think they are too close to the lefties in New Zealand and it's trying to rub off on them, or something.
BTTT
,,, BUMP for Howard and commonsense.
Kyoto is like Count Dracula... it wants to suck the economic lifeblood of the world. :P
,,, truer words were never spoken. It's the great levelling device that will bring the west to its knees.
Putin is caving in to Europe in return for WTO concessions.
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