As Bali Gabfest Approaches, Binding Kyoto Targets Flouted From Pole To Pole

[hatrack]

REENHOUSE gas emissions from the world's industrialised countries are again on the rise and closing in on record levels, despite most having signed the Kyoto Protocol. UN figures released last night - just weeks ahead of a key meeting to start brokering a new global deal to cut emissions - show greenhouse gases from Kyoto's 41 industrialised and transition countries approaching "an all-time high". Emissions fell between 1990 and 2000 but they rose 2.6 per cent between 2000 and 2005, for when the latest figures are available.

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change said the increase was driven by continued growth in the world's highly industrialised countries and the accelerating economies of the former Soviet bloc nations, led by a big increase in emissions from transport.

The figures show Australia's greenhouse emissions in 2005 were about 25.6 per cent above 1990 levels, although the figure falls to a rise of 4.5 per cent when the effect of bans on land-clearing is included. This puts Australia on track to meet its generous Kyoto target of an 8 per cent increase on 1990 levels by 2012.

Despite this latest upturn, the UNFCCC said last night all Kyoto signatories were projected to meet their target of cutting emissions by 5 per cent from 1990 levels by 2012, although most of these cuts were the result of the economic collapse of Eastern European countries at the end of the Cold War.

EDIT

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22795654-30417,00.html

[razzleberry]

1. Kyoto's binding obligations, mean nothing to Europeans,

Canadians, Japanese, NZers, etc.

at least Australians are not breaking their word.