All talk no action

I've always stayed clear of the political aspect of the global warming debate, firstly because I don't care for politics and secondly because I don't believe science can be mixed with consensus (politics). If its science its not consensus. If its consensus its not science. I prefer to stick with science.

Be that as it may, I do keep a pulse on what world bodies are debating ...errr.. doing. One thing that keeps coming up since the days of Kyoto protocol is who - as in which nations - are to blame.

The rationale of the debate I suppose is to decide who should be doing the most of the cleaning up. We can read that as bearing the cost and possible economic slowdown as industry rules are altered. One of the reasons why the US didn't go with Kyoto was their claim that developing economies were not subject to the targets that the rich countries were.

The other side's defence is that most of the Co2 presently circulating in the atmosphere have been dumped there by indutrialized countries decades and centuries ago, hence it is they who should be leading the cleanup efforts.

It sounds reasonable until you realize where the argument is heading: that if America and Europe had polluted well and hard in the past, then why can't India and China do the same today?

Its like a youngster telling someone you can't stop me from dumping trash out to the street because you yourself did it when you were young.

Maybe I'm being a little simplistic and there's a lot more to the arguments but I think the basic principles are the same. Squabbling about history will not change the fact that we - as in the Americans, Asians and Europeans - are all stuck in the same sinking ship.

The irony is that while the Americans may not have signed Kyoto, they are doing something to change the situation as I blogged here, here, here and here, probably forced to by a more environmentally mature citizenry, while some nations that signed Kyoto could only give excuses why its hard to implement measures in their countries. Lets be honest. Which country would you rather live in - one where the rivers are clean and clear but didn't sign Kyoto or one who let its rivers be biologically poisoned but signed Kyoto.

This is why I prefer to stick to science. Action speaks louder than words. A lot louder.

Read this, this and this for perspectives of India and China on this issue.