Jay writes:
>...If there really is a problem, why not simply state it and let the
private sector solve it? If it's really a problem, then financial incentives
are in order. After all, there will be costs associated with the problem, if
there really is a problem, and if you grant private industry economic
concessions that, in the long run, cost less than that, you've come out
ahead.

Because the market is not always the best place to deal with these issues.
Here's an example:
Tobacco companies knew in their confidential research that smoking was
unhealthy but denied any health concerns to the public - this information
was simply suppressed up until 1962 (I think) when the US Surgeon General
delivered a report that smoking does have serious health consequences.  The
tobacco industry then changed tack by stating that the science was
"unproven". Sound familiar?  In the West at least, we now know that smoking
is unhealthy and incurs substantial social and economic costs on society.
Where cash profit is the only outcome being accounted for, then we have no
guarantee that the direction of market forces will be to the benefit of
society. These market forces are also subject to influence by parties in
those markets so it simply cannot be left to them to solve problems that
affect us all. It takes government-level effort to regulate and enforce
environmental protection standards on those industries.

>3) The Kyoto Protocol is a perfect example of the kind of governmental
failure peculiar to the UN: the "let's stick it to America" syndrome. That
body is fundamentally incapable of reaching conclusions that do not strike
at American interests. It's done so time and time again. It should be
completely unsurprising that the US rejects so many of its actions.

I think you're saying more than one thing here.  The US sits on the Security
Council so, generally, is going to be in a position to get what it wants in
this forum.  I would suggest that many other countries feel that the UN is
anti their own interests when they see the US (or any of the other Council
members) vetoing or abstaining on causes that would be to their benefit.

The Kyoto protocol is the only global level agreement we have. It may suit
some more than others, that's the nature of these things with multiple
parties, but so what?  It ought to be a starting point for governments to
address climate change, not for them to squabble over and dismiss it out of
hand.

It's not simply "my opinion" that there is climate warming and that our
human processes are partly to blame, the science has been done to show this
is the case.  That such research is highly politicised by policy makers is a
red herring - it's happening whether or not they or anyone else accepts it.

Richard


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