A Climate Change Anti-Mandate

A conference on climate change is about to happen in Poland, and John Kerry will attend as an observer:

US ready to climb into hot seat on climate change

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Nations around the world are hoping the United States is set to come in from the cold and take a leading role in the fight against climate change as President-elect Barack Obama prepares to take office.

"It's a very exciting time. It's a moment we have been waiting for, many of us, for some period of time; we intend to pick up the baton and really run with it," Democratic Senator John Kerry told reporters, as he prepared to head to international climate change talks in Poland.

Obama has been "very, very clear that after eight years of obstruction and delay and denial, the US is going to rejoin the world community in tackling this global challenge," he added.
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The United States, which is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, walked away from the Koyto protocol under the administration of President George W. Bush.

That snub left other nations struggling to define a coherent policy for tackling carbon emissions with the United States left out of the framework.

Last week Obama vowed he would "engage vigorously" in global climate change talks.

As you can plainly see, George Bush screwed up everything by thumbing his nose at the world community and walking away from the Kyoto Protocol. Fortunately, Barack Obama will soon ride to the rescue, and not a moment too soon either. After all, polls show that the world demands action on this issue:

Climate still a top concern despite financial crisis: survey

LONDON (AFP) — The environment remains a top concern despite the financial crisis, according to a global poll published Wednesday that finds 43 percent see climate change as a bigger problem than the economy.

HSBC bank's second annual report on environmental concerns reveals residents of a dozen countries surveyed would like to see their governments take more decisive action to fight global warming.

Three quarters of those polled -- 78 percent -- wanted their countries to reduce their "fair share" of greenhouse gas emissions.

The BBC puts it this way:

'World mandate' on climate action

26 November 2008

An opinion poll in 11 countries has produced what organisers term a "global mandate" for action on climate change.

About half of the respondents wanted governments to play a major role in curbing emissions, but only a quarter said their leaders were doing enough.

In developing countries, a majority of people were prepared to make "lifestyle changes" to reduce climate change.

And the Guardian gets right to the point:

Consumers rank climate concerns ahead of economy

November 26 2008

Consumers around the world want governments to stop haggling and start acting on climate change, according to a survey carried out in 12 countries by a coalition of climate groups.

Despite the looming prospect of a deep global recession, 43% of the 12,000 respondents of the survey chose climate change ahead of the global economy when asked about their current concerns. Worldwide, 77% of respondents wanted to see their governments cutting carbon by their fair share or more, in order to allow developing countries to grow their economies.

And there you have it. The logical conclusion is that whereas George Bush foolishly rejected the Kyoto Protocol, everyone in the world thinks that Barack Obama should come to his senses and get with the program. But that's not really how it is, as the same poll that everyone is touting as a "mandate" clearly reveals.

When it comes to vague generalities, people -- including me -- typically endorse the environmental agenda (e.g., "we should do more to reduce CO2 emissions"). However, the real issue in my mind concerns the major climate-change solution favored by many on the left, namely, the Kyoto Protocol (or some similar agreement). It is not a sensible approach to the problem even if you accept the standard global warming theory because it will accomplish next to nothing in terms of reducing global temperatures, and any tiny gain that may occur will come at great expense. This is not disputed by anyone (if you doubt that, you have not inquired into the matter), but people favor the Kyoto Protocol anyway because at least we would be "doing something." I'm all in favor of doing something, but not doing that particular something. How does the rest of the world feel about it? After all, as noted above, "The United States, which is the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, walked away from the Koyto protocol under the administration of President George W. Bush." Is he out of synch with rest of the world on this issue? No, he's not. Here is another report on the same poll that fails to detect the big mandate that others believe they have spotted:

Efforts to support global climate-change falls: Poll

PARIS - There is both growing public reluctance to make personal sacrifices and a distinct lack of enthusiasm for the major international efforts now underway to battle climate change, according to findings of a poll of 12,000 citizens in 11 countries, including Canada.

Results of the poll were released this week in advance of the start of a major international conference in Poland where delegates are considering steps toward a new international climate-change treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol, which expires in 2012.
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Less than half of those surveyed, or 47 per cent, said they were prepared to make personal lifestyle changes to reduce carbon emissions, down from 58 per cent last year.

Only 37 per cent said they were willing to spend "extra time" on the effort, an eight-point drop.

And only one in five respondents - or 20 per cent - said they'd spend extra money to reduce climate change. That's down from 28 per cent a year ago.
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Results of the poll suggested that 55 per cent of respondents in the 11 countries said their governments should be doing more by investing in renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar and wave power.

That's more than double the 27 per cent who wanted their governments to participate in Kyoto-style international agreements to reduce emissions.

Only 27% differ from George Bush on this matter and want their governments to participate in Kyoto-style international agreements to reduce emissions? Obviously, when it comes to Kyoto-style agreements, there is an anti-mandate, and that's how it should be.