beve: limboslam: Keeping nations like China and India exempt tells me, right there, that Kyoto is more about reducing Western nations' economic abilities then it is about reducing Global Warming.

How can we demand nations like China and India take measures when we won't? "Do as I say not do as I do"?

How can we demand western nations put themselves at an economic disadvantage while any reductions they made are counteracted by enormous growth in polution in China and India. It is called Global warming, not Western nation warming. We need a global solution, not half measures that destroy the US and Western Europe economically while other nations continue to spew the problematic greenhouse gases in every increasing quantities. It is hard enough for other countries to compete with China and India without adding an extra burden that China and India do not have to worry about. Thats not to say there isn't a price to be paid with the horrible polution and health consequences we are beginning to see in Asia, but that just goes to show there needs to be a comprehensive solution rather than western guilt based treaties.

Also, you can't blame the US for not living up to Kyoto when it was never ratified. Unlike those hypocritcal nations that went ahead and signed on to that hideously flawed treaty and then can't even approach living up to their expectations yet continue to lecture the US on their failures. Why aren't they focusing on their own inept measures that fail to live up to their treaty obligations instead of lecturing the US who had the foresight to realize there was no way in hell Kyoto would work unless India and China were onboard. Thats not to say the US doesn't deserve some criticisms for not taking easy steps but you can't shove Kyoto obligations down the US throat since the US did not ratify the treaty.