Posted on 09/24/2004 11:52:46 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Putin readies measure on global warming for a vote in parliament
MOSCOW -- Key ministries of the Russian government began the process of ratifying the Kyoto Protocol yesterday, signaling that President Vladimir V. Putin is preparing to put the landmark global-warming treaty to a vote in parliament.
After weeks of behind-the-scenes meetings aimed at weighing costs and benefits, including Russia's possible admission later this year into the World Trade Organization, Putin directed his Cabinet ministers to ''sign as soon as possible" the draft ratification documents, the first step toward allowing Russia to join the 1997 accord.
The Ministry of Natural Resources approved the documents yesterday, but the Economic Development and Trade Ministry called for more scrutiny of the pact's economic consequences, signaling a possible fight before ratification could occur. Still, environmental activists said they hoped the issue could be presented to the Russian Parliament within the next several weeks.
Russia's participation is a crucial step toward implementation of the protocol, which requires participating industrialized countries to cut their emissions of greenhouse gases, blamed for what many scientists believe could be a precipitous change in global climate.
The protocol, which cannot take effect unless Russia signs, aims to reduce greenhouse gases to 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2012.
Analysts cautioned that Russia's ratification would not be certain until the final package cleared the parliament and was presented to Putin for signature, a warning that reflected the deep divisions that persist within Russia over the benefits of instituting the treaty.
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Just say "nyet."
They should but Putin is off the reservation.
PING
The world 4 A.C. (After Clinton).
I dont know a lot but I am thinking they can't be running clean enough to meet standards
Russia wouldn't honor what they sign, so why not expect them to sign?
Kyoto has nothing to do with clean. CO2 is not a pollutant, but a life substaining part of our air.
Think about who has an opposite stance on Kyoto. That will provide an answer, methinks.
Kyoto is about putting the screws to the U.S. and giving passes to developing countries.
He's decided that an antiUS alliance with the EU is the best bet for Russia. :-( This is Very Bad News...IIRC, once they reach their magic 55% with Russia's signature, the Kyoto Treaty becomes part of international law ,and all nonexempt nations (Exempt : India, China eg) can be subjected to financial penalties to force ratification and compliance. Given all GWB's had to do to try to defend our national sovereignty from the ICC (which we also have not ratified) , I'd say it's a given that sooner or later we will see an embargo against the US in the name of this treaty. I honestly believe the EU and the rest of the world would happily see a worldwide megadepression, if that's the price that must be paid to destroy US sovereignty.
We are in fact about the only good industrial GREEN country.
Meaning, we have functional filters on smoke stacks, cars, good filtration in water where the rest of the world does not.
The only ones who can claim to be better at this than us are those who have no industry (MAYBE).
If alternative forms of energy come about to replace oil that are clean, then this treaty would be of no consequence, but as long as we need oil, we can't sign this treaty which is a restriction on success.
Let the rest of the world implement the good filters we have on everything first and then MAYBE we can consider any treaty.
Right now, this treaty and this world tax for starvation treaty is BS.
They have more to lose from such an embargo than we do. Embargos work both ways.
How exactly? Please be thourough in your explanation. Omit no details.
There is this fundamental problem I have had since childhood with the concept of "international law" defined by the helpless delusionals.
Chirac and the natural gas interests must have offered a lot.
The Russian politicos aren't getting their "oil vouchers" any more from Saddam, maybe some new sources?
this may have something to do with the announcment on Monday by scientists in Antartica of the acceleration of the breakup of the glaciers there.
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