Odd Man Out on Kyoto Pact

Re “Nations Adopt Climate Pact Without U.S.,” July 24:

In all the bashing of President Bush over his rejection of the Kyoto Protocol, one thing seems to have been overlooked. Since 1990, U.S. carbon dioxide emissions have increased by 30%, leaving no possible way that the target reduction called for by Kyoto could have been realized in time. It seems safe to say that no U.S. government, including the previous administration, ever had any serious intention of ratifying or abiding by Kyoto. The U.S. blocked adoption of an agreement last year at The Hague, leaving it to the conference in Bonn to reach an agreement without U.S. participation.

The Europeans seem confident of their ability to meet their targets. It seems time for the present administration to come up with a plan of action and negotiate a revised target level that can be met instead of studying the problem until St. Nevermore’s day. Many U.S. industries are ready and willing to get going on technical solutions, but they need an incentive.

Jim Mentzer

Los Angeles

*

To Bush it’s still “jobs versus the environment.” His insistence that the U.S. is the only G-8 nation that can’t afford a responsible greenhouse gas emission standard is embarrassing. It reveals his short-range thinking and flawed economic assumptions.

Claims that the Bush-Cheney oil, coal, gas and nuclear energy policy is “long-range” are laughable. The mere fact that the oil debate now centers on the Alaskan wilderness and offshore sites is proof that the fossil fuel age is already winding down. Any energy policy that does not recognize that renewable energy is not ultimately “alternative” but rather “inevitable” energy is simply not a long-range policy.

Bush’s view of the economy treats natural resources as if they’re free and infinite. His energy policy would be disastrous for global warming and would do precious little to provide for our long-range needs and economic viability. Environmental responsibility and economic prosperity are not mutually exclusive; rather, they’re mutually inseparable.

Paul Chipello

Northridge

*

Thank God for President Bush. He has had the guts and good sense to stand up against demands that the United States (and only the United States) destroy its economy under the ridiculous premise that doing so would somehow stop global warm-ing.

Bea and Jim Forbes

Palos Verdes Estates