Why won't the USA and the UK sign the Kyoto Act?

Answer 1

Let me give you an idea of how Kyoto works. You and your friend take a class together. You take a test, and score a 96. Your friend takes the test, and scores a 53.

At the end of the term, you take the test again. You score a 98, your friend scores a 65. Your friend gets selected for a special reward for their superior performance, improving their score by 12 points. You don't, even though you scored much better. You were penalized for your initial high achievment.

The US is a world leader in environmental technology. No large country produces so much energy and economic value so cleanly and with so little environmental impact. For us to continue improving takes huge amounts of research.

For most of the other countries, to make an improvement, they need to implement the cheap and easy policies and technology that they should have long ago. But their corrupt governmental systems don't care at all about the general welfare of their people and their environment. So they refuse to improve their own factories and policies, instead waiting for the US and UK to sign so that they can take advantage of the agreement and make a profit, all the time causing more damage, which they blame on the US.

In the meantime, signing Kyoto shows a disrespect for the poor and working class of this nation, making it even more difficult for them to have real-wage jobs, as their companies will have less money to pay them after paying for expensive improvements to turn their 96% effecient factory into a 98% one. Those jobs will get shipped to a factor in China or Mexico, who will simply install the relatively cheap filter in the smokestacks, and improve their score from 53 to 65.

Answer 2

Kyoto attempts to impose harsh restrictions on several developed nations which could be damaging to their economies. At the same time it exempts emerging nations like China. Because? Can you guess? It would damage their economy. While I have no problem with pollution controls and cleaning up the environment, Kyoto is more about punishment than enviromentalism. If the UN would create a fair act which takes into account all nations and their concerns I am sure it would pass.

Answer 3

Because it would force them to pay billions to China, which has no obligations under the Kyoto act to reduce emissions. If the US signed the act, they would have to pay other countries, including China, billions of dollars while China continued to use dirty coal power to make cheap goods to flood the US market which would drive any clean producers there out of business. In 20 years China could end up as the #1 polluter in the world and the US would STILL have to pay penalties to them.

Answer 4

the UK did sign the Kyoto Treaty and have since implemented a carbon emissions trading scheme. They are on target to meet their cut in emissions according to the treaty, but not meet their goal as a nation.

The US is not willing to commit to the Kyoto Protocol until 3rd world emerging economies such as China and India also sign. Third world nations recieve carbon credits for maintaining or regrowing forests, but rarely are they required to meet the stringent standards themselves. Those that tell you otherwise are incorrect. China is on pace to surpass the US in carbon emissions in 15 years, but is also unwilling to change emissions.

What a complex situation...protection for the environment vs. protection for a countries citizenry

Answer 5

This is not a direct answer but the round about answer is that it does not do what it says it is going to do. What it does do is make it easier for unfair competitors to take advantage of countries that play by the rules, plus and this I believe is the U.S's sticking point it puts U.S. interests under foreign inspection and that is an issue of national security and domestic economic policy. It is pretty much the same reason the U.S never joined the World League when Wilson was the one who thought it up. It gives control to foreign governments and U.N. Inspectors. And the money spent for such inspection would be better off spent cleaning up one's own country.

Answer 6

Because they are both greedy bastards who care more about money than about the environment and the future of the planet, even though a lot of the 3rd world countries are willing to make the effort and sacrifice these two superpowers are not interested enough to set the example for the rest of the world, why? MONEY!
I want to make clear that I'm not an environmental nut or a greenpeace member or anything like that.

Answer 7

The UK has; The US won't becuase fo the economic loses it will make / it would involve politicians not playing to the damnds of the large MNCs that run the country

Answer 8

Because Global Warming is over hyped.
Hyped by the scientists to get grants
Hyped by politicians to get votes
Hyped by the press to get readers / viewers.
Hyped by other countries to get money from the United States and UK that they don't deserve.

Answer 9

lobbyists from industry stop them from doing so. If new environmental act signed, many buisness will have to make changes to their industries and products. That cost money to them.

Answer 10

Simply because Dubya is an arrogant w***er and Blair is his lap dog.