Should China and India be required to reduce green house gas emissions in the next climate change treaty?

Question

They were exempt from the Kyoto round and want to continue to pollute at greater and greater levels for the foreseeable future. Is this an acceptable outcome for a future treaty on climate change?

Answer 1

Yes - but everyone needs to set and abide by targets. In doing this some allowance has to be made for the level of development in the country. We can't expect the people of Indian and China to forgo some of the benefits we take for granted.

Answer 2

China, India,the former Soviet Union, and Indonesia will never comply. Why should they, they do not rule by emotion. They are also the biggest polluters so why punish the US?

And how will giving money to poor countries make the world cooler??, it won't it will just take our tax dollars and send them somewhere else for them to waste.

Man Made global warming is a hoax, even if it was not these other countries are not going to ruin their economies to comply to a UN treaty.

If you truly want to do something make all imports have to be manufactured at plants with the same environmental regulations as US plants. This would even the playing field and reduce emmision but it would also drive up the prices on most of our goods and then that would become the issue. When all clothes, shoes, and electronics tripled in price "everyone" would want the government to do something because they can not afford it.

Let the free market do its job, do your part not be wasteful and be happy you live in the greatest country on earth.

Answer 3

NO this is impossible

You can't just go from rocketing emissions to a sharp decrease. You need first to slow down the increase, stabilise the emissions, reduce them and then in the end become almost carbon neutral.

China and India are still increasing fast their emissions for very basic needs such as infrastructures.
Even the US which has the largest potential to decrease its emissions is just about to stabilize its emissions (at the highest level per capita in the world).

The US emitts 20t CO2/capita per year, China around 4 and India 1.

China and India should be FORCED TO CURB THEIR GREENHOUSE GASES EMISSIONS. This means that while it is impossible for them to reduce their emissions, they have to slow down the increase. But actually, they are already working on that.

China has set the following goals which are stronger than the US policy:
- national comittment to 20% renewable energy by 2020
- reduction of 1,500 Mt CO2 below Business As Usual
- Increase the energy efficiency by 25% over the next 5 years.

Answer 4

That might be a good plan for conservation, but I do not think those countries could or would even if they agreed on paper to such terms. World wars have been fought over less, especially considering that if they were able to substantially reduce CO2 emissions it would have no measurable impact on climate.

Answer 5

Absolutely.

The negotiations here will be tough, but they've lost some negotiating strength, especially now that China is the leading GHG emitter.

One way the US can put pressure on them is to include in really poor undeveloped countries by providing financial/technical assistance, while noting that China and India don't really need as much help, since they have profit centers to tap.

Of course the essential way to pressure them is to agree to binding targets for ourselves. Our present position of not agreeing to this provides them with all the cover they need.

Answer 6

Human caused global warming is a hoax perpetrated on the American people in order to separate us {Americans} from our money. When you hear leaders of other countries and the U.N. talk about it the solution is for us to give away our wealth not for the worst polluters to be accountable. This will become the battle cry for the implementation of the first WORLD tax. I can hear it now " Just think of the children" and "Dont you want clean air and water" Who can argue? By the way mars is warming by very similar rates. Americans are carelessly destroying Mars' environment too. I guess NASA left the Mars rover idling all this time. Usually the sky is not falling.

Answer 7

Exactly how will you "require" them or anyone else to reduce green house gas emissions?

Answer 8

They can't. It is impossible. The best we can expect is for them to lower their rate of increase. It won't be as low as the U.S. rate of increase any time soon, but it could be lower than it is, with lots of effort and sacrifice on their part.

Answer 9

should China tell us to eat rice to save cows