[sholzer]

Not to be a killjoy, but (as with Kyoto) the agreement essentially envisions a transfer of wealth from industrialized to emerging-industrial countries. Once again, as with the Kyoto Protocol, China and India have been asked to make no binding commitments regarding emissions:

"The deal [yet again] does not set emissions-reductions targets for developing countries like China and India, but provides mechanisms through which they can get access to clean technology and financing for climate-friendly projects."

Thus, while developed countries signing on to this new agreement must agree to cut their emissions, with consequent economic dislocation (see my weblog, "ENVIRONMENTAL LEGAL BLOGS", at http://environmentallegal.blogs.com/sholzer-- Posts under CATEGORIES-"Global Warming" -right-hand side of the page), two of the world's biggest polluting countries need make no such cuts. Perhaps developed countries were ready to agree to such a lopsided deal because they don't really intend to abide by the deal anyway (again, see Global Warming Posts on my blog). As the CNEWS article mentions:

"Delegates praised Canada for hosting the conference and Dion for guiding the negotiations, but activists noted that Canadian record in controlling greenhouse emissions is dismal - worse than that of the United States.

"Dion still insists that Canada will meet its commitment under the existing Kyoto Protocol to cut emissions six per cent from 1990 levels by 2012. Emissions are currently 24 per cent above 1990 levels.

"Experts say Canada's target will be impossible to achieve without substantial purchases of credits on the international carbon market, and such moves are likely to be a hard sell."

[Humidston]

Welcome to the New World Order. Hillary will love it, as well as all the strutting peacock UN delegates.

And what's to gripe about since Jimmy Carter handed ownership of the Panama Canal over to red China?

Peace, love and harrrrmony, comrades.

I feel a song coming on....

[Koblenz]

Didn't Ralph Klein, the premier of Alberta, say a few years ago that if Canada formally ratified Kyoto then Alberta would apply for US Statehood?

This would make Americans happy: it would add a nice state, and a red state at that. A few years ago, polling revealed that Alberta would be the only province George Bush would have won.

It would also make Canada happy: it would get rid of a bunch of conservaitve seats, so the Liberals of Toronto could have a bigger majority. It would also make Canada "cleaner" because there'd be less oil and gas production.