Friday, February 18, 2005
Airline Emissions
The Kyoto protocol went into effect this week, though not in the U.S. thanks to our unwillingness to ratify it. Pres. Bush claims there are fundamental flaws in the protocol...maybe he's right, I have no idea. One of the flaws that the report I was watching pointed to is the fact that airline emissions are not covered by the protocol - meaning planes can continue to spill as much pollution as they want. I stumbled across a site today that allows you to offset the amount of greenhouse gases your flight emits by contributing a small sum to help plant one or more trees. It's called Climate Care . For my recent flight from Philadelphia to London, we emitted 1.5 tons of CO2 into the upper atmosphere. For £10.50 I can plant a tree that will recover all of that pollution. Pretty cool.
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Here's some thoughts from The Heritage Foundation as to why the US should not participate in the Kyoto Protocol. Dan, did the UK ratify it?
(Link to the full article is here.)
Fundamental Flaws of the Kyoto Protocol1) Faulty Science. Large uncertainties remain in predicting future climate changes, their impact, and their causes. The Protocol does not distinguish between human and non-human sources for greenhouse gases.
2) Unrealistic Targets. The Protocol would require industrial countries to reduce their emissions to below their 1990 levels. Many countries will not be able to meet their emissions targets, and even if they did, this would not reduce worldwide emissions since studies show that emissions by the developing countries will exceed those of the industrial countries by 2020.
3) Misdirected Objectives. Too much emphasis is placed on carbon dioxide and not enough on other greenhouse gases and heat-trapping substances (methane, ozone, soot, and aerosols.)
4) Exempts Developing Countries. The Protocol excludes developing countries from binding emissions reductions. Included among its category of developing countries are China, Russia, India, and Brazil.
5) Severe Economic Consequences. The Protocol will drastically raise the price of energy, will cause economic hardship to American workers and families, and will place the United States at a competitive disadvantage.
steph,
thanks for the info. yes, the UK has ratified. according to an article on the BBC's website, they have already beaten their target of a 12.5% reduction in emissions. Here is a link to one of the articles on the BBC's site, with links to several others listed in a sidebar on that page. Check out the ominous picture they have at the top of the article!
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