Beyond Kyoto

The Administration is poised to present a new greenhouse gas reduction tactic that they're saying goes "beyond Kyoto."

The United States, the world's top polluter, is set to unveil a five-nation pact to combat global warming by developing energy technology to cut greenhouse gas emissions, officials said on Wednesday.

China and India, whose burgeoning economies comprise a third of humanity, as well as Australia and South Korea are part of the agreement to tackle climate change beyond the U.N.'s Kyoto protocol.

The United States and Australia are the only developed nations outside Kyoto, which demands cuts in greenhouse emissions by 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12. Both say Kyoto is flawed because it omits developing states.

You see? This is the most important element of the Bush Greenhouse Doctrine: Despite the fact that the US is by far the greatest polluter; despite the fact that the per-capita ecological impact of the American Individual is only outdone by the UAE; The Administration wants to put all the pressure for environemental protections on growth-nations.

Of Course rapidly developing, industrializing nations need to have curbs to their output of greenhouse gases. Absolutely. China and India represent the largest areas of concern as their populations move toward higher energy needs.

But it is foolish and arrogant to ignore the need for those countries that are responsible for the current state of the environment to make amends too it. Right now, guys, the biggest user and abuser, banger and blamer, of the environment is America.

Once again: foolhardy policy.