New Year's Resolution

Do as I say, and not as I do: this is your new year's resolution message, boys and girls. Embrace this ageless wisdom and you can get on your high horse whenever you feel like it and criticize freely, unfetterred and unassailable from evidence of your personal failings and blatant acts of hypocrisy. Remember this mantra and remember it well: it is not what you do or did, but rather what you say; you lead not by example, but through empty and bankrupt sanctimonious drivel, wrapped in feel-good catch phrases.

For New Year Eve's dinner, the White House should send over a container-load of ketchup to accompany the entrée of shoes for these EuroWankers.


Most of Europe set to miss Kyoto goals
Tue Dec 27, 7:39 AM ET

Most of Europe, which has criticized the United States over its stance on global warming, looks set to miss a set of goals to cut greenhouse gases under the Kyoto Protocol.

The findings by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), revealed Tuesday, will make embarrassing reading for European governments that have berated Washington for its refusal to ratify the United Nations pact.

Of 15 countries in Europe signed up to Kyoto, only Britain and Sweden were on target to meet their commitments on reducing harmful gas emissions by 2012, said the IPPR, Britain's leading progressive think tank.

In contrast, 10 nations -- including Ireland, Italy and Spain -- would fail to do so unless they took urgent action, it said.

The 1997 treaty sets legally binding targets for developed countries to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases blamed for global warming by 2012 compared with 1990 levels.

However, the refusal by the United States -- the world's biggest polluter -- to sign up has limited its impact on improving the climate.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair made the fight against global warming one of his key goals during Britain's one-year presidency of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations, which expires at the end of the year.

He has spent much of the past 12 months trying to find common ground on which all countries, including the United States, can agree.

Earlier in December, Kyoto's 159 members approved crucial decisions on strengthening the treaty's mechanisms at a conference in Canada.

They also agreed to launch negotiations from next May on cutting greenhouse gas pollution beyond 2012, when the present Kyoto pledges run out.

Pledges to reduce harmful greenhouse gases, however, were of little use unless countries followed through with action, the IPPR warned.

"We are nearing the point of no return on climate change," said the group's associate director Tony Grayling.

"We have very little time left to start reducing global greenhouse gas emissions before irreparable damage is done," he said.

"It is vital that EU countries keep their promises to cut pollution."

The IPPR used a traffic light system to grade countries on their ability to meet Kyoto pledges, giving those who looked set to fail a red warning.

France, Greece and Germany -- rated as amber -- would hit their targets only if planned policies were successfully carried out, the study found.

Grayling urged those countries that were falling behind to take action immediately to get back on track, suggesting energy saving and investment in renewable energy sources.

"In the new year, EU countries will need to adopt tougher limits on emissions from power stations and heavy industry, in the second phase of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme," he said.

(Source)


If I am not mistaken, the reason why USA objected is because the Kyoto Treaty was NOT APPLIED EQUALLY TO ALL NATIONS. Rather, owing to some bullshit theory of "Oh, these poor countries can't afford to implement such expensive environmental emission controls," countries like China (ranked No. 2 in CO2 emissions) and India get a free hand to pollute unregulated for decades more. That was what President Bush was objecting to. If the Kyoto Treaty is truly sincere about reducing emissions, then it should apply to ALL COUNTRIES EQUALLY. Instead, the treaty has been turned into a sort of politico-economic weapon bent on kneecapping certain countries.

By the way, if India and China are so "poor" as to be unable to afford emssion controls for their industries, how come they can afford to build nuclear bombs?

Inquiring minds like to know.

Australia also refused to ratify the Kyoto Treaty, but you don't hear about their Prime Minister, John Howard, and the Australian government being so heavily criticized, do you?

Oh, the truth hurts! Run away! Run away! Let's all hold hands, hug trees, sing "Kumbaya," and pretend nothing's wrong!

Pass the bong and LSD over, maaan!

Here's a list of communes where you can pick flowers and mushrooms all day long.