Kyoto Protocols
The Kyoto accord, which aims to curb the air pollution blamed for global warming, has come into force seven years after it was agreed [1].
United States ratification
The main reason the Kyoto Protocols on the environment have been a dead letter have to do with:
- the United States lobbying and pressure to water down the proposed measures. Thus even if the protocols were ratified worldwide, the measures it pushes are market-driven (a key element introduced by the Americans).
- the fact that even though the protocols were amended to respond to American objections, the United States refused to ratify the protocols. This obviously rendered the protocols and similar movements to tackle global warming toothless.
A key operator who was part of a group of lawyers working to undermine the Kyoto Protocols was Larisa Dobriansky -- an "environmental" lawyer, Exxon lobbyist, Akin Gump lawyer and off-on working at the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
Notes
- ^BBC News Website 16th Feb 2005 Kyoto Protocol Comes into Force Last Accessed 16th June 2007
