Even Italy Realizes Economic Dangers of Kyoto

HUMAN EVENTS ^ | Aug 4, 2003 | Michael Catanzaro

[Tailgunner Joe]

How could one forget the vitriol and drama served up by European elites after President Bush rejected the Kyoto Protocol?

"President George W. Bush, Polluter of the Free World," roared the Independent of London on March 30, 2001. "It is hard to exaggerate the significance of his repudiation of the Kyoto treaty," the editors wrote. "It is not even isolationism," they said, "it is in-your-face truculence." The French denounced the President's action in their typically humble way, calling it "narrow" and "unsophisticated." EU Environment Commissioner Margot Walstrom said President Bush's proposals on climate change are flawed because, well, they're just not Kyoto.

In short, in the lofty minds of Europe's bureaucrats, Kyoto is the panacea for a future plagued by global warming catastrophe.

FACT: Kyoto will do nothing for the environment or have any impact on global temperatures.

This is the unequivocal conclusion of Altero Matteoli, Italy's minister for the environment and territory. With Italy hosting the next round of global climate negotiations later this year, Matteoli said on July 7 that, "Within the framework of [Kyoto], we will manage to reach a 2 percent reduction in emissions at best, but we all know that we need to halve greenhouse emissions world-wide by 2050 in order to prevent further damage to climate."

Now, even if one concedes that man-made greenhouse gas emissions are causing global warming or damaging climate (they're not), according to Matteoli, the world would have to reduce emissions by 50 percent to have any effect. Put another way, the world would need 25 Kyotos to stop global warming. That translates into big costs for Europe, which can't even meet its initial Kyoto targets.

The Energy Information Administration said one mere Kyoto, among other destructive effects, would cost the U.S. economy $400 billion annually. Guess President Bush ain't so unsophisticated after all.

[JSteff]

Kyoto is silly. There are more important things for the world to worry about... . like alien invasions.

/sarcasm

[.cnI redruM]

Kyoto is honored mostly in the breach. I can't think of ANY signators to The Kyoto Treaty that are actually hitting their goals. I think the whole point of the exercise was to brag self-righteously about environmental commitment while gleefully p---ing in the Arno River.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

I think I'll go fire up my 1979 Z-28 camaro which puts out 10 times the pollution of a new Honda.

There, I feel better already.

[=Intervention=]

Exactly. Kyoto was just another way for psudeo-sophisticate Euroweenies to stick it to the U.S.

[Cboldt]

Big pro-Italy --bump--

I really enjoy my trips to the nothern parts of Italy. A great place to visit, best food in the world. Friendly natives, TONS of history. I encourage folks to shun parts of Europe, but not Italy.

[Dilbert56]

BTW - Kyoto regulates carbon dioxide - which is erroneously labeled a "pollutant" in a lot of these stories. We breathe it out and plants need it to live.

According to ice core samples, CO2 follows global warming rather than preceding it. May explain why most 20th century warming was in the first half and most of the CO2 increase was in the second. Not the sequence you would expect if CO2 caused the warming.

[armed_in_sydney]

Italy,as usual,shows itself as an adult amongst children.

[gfmsl]

BRAVA ITALIA!

[brooklin]

How about a '67 mustang ... 0 emissions controls on the thing. Plenty of pep. (mildly cammed)

[cinFLA]

FACT: Kyoto will do nothing for the environment or have any impact on global temperatures

This is fact. Even documented in the "scientific" papers which the supporters of Kyoto base their findings on.

[cinFLA]

How about a '67 mustang ... 0 emissions controls on the thing. Plenty of pep. (mildly cammed)

My 81 yo mother's Japanese sedan gets 260 hp from 3.5 liters and 30+ mpg .... on regular gas.

[caisson71]

Leadership = doing what is right......even if nobody agrees. Thank God George Bush is our President and that he's not a "wet finger politician" - wet his finger, sticks it in the air to see which way public opinion is blowing (for those who may have another DEFINITION).

[cinFLA]

Italy,as usual,shows itself as an adult amongst children.

Italy, Spain, Great Britain; allies in the War on Iraq.

[At _War_With_Liberals]

I'm a Chevy man myself, but my college roommate had a 65 and a mach I. Oh, the memories...

[At _War_With_Liberals]

BTW, what pollution control? ;-)

[ffusco]

"Italy,as usual,shows itself as an adult amongst children." - Is that the word on the street in Australia? Italy doesn't get much press here in TX.

[ffusco]

Recently sold my68 Pontiac Lemans convertable. *sigh*

[At _War_With_Liberals]

1968...my birth year

[ffusco]

1969 for me. Man that car was sweet....