Why Kyoto is doomed
Put aside that the Kyoto Protocol is fatally flawed, based on bogus number that even supporters admit would have little impact on their own much-vaunted (but equally useless) computer model predictions. The fact is, where it matters, no one cares.
China is exempt from the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol, given a pass because it argued that the "world's factory" needed more growth to finish emerging from the status of a developing country. Sure. Whatever. But even if China, as one of the planet's largest producers of greenhouse gases, was included in Kyoto, it wouldn't have mattered.
As illustrated on Car Free Day, one of the world's most carefully controlled populations under the rule of one the world's most enduring dictatorships simply ignored the government-supported environmental initiative.
China will be hosting the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The population at large is strongly supportive of the Olympic Games. National pride matters a great deal to the Chinese, both the government elite and the masses. In a dictatorship like China, it matters even more. A crisis in pride is a crisis for the government, because in a dictatorship, the Party and the State are one.
But despite the shared investment in having the Games be a success, the population drew the line when the government instituted a Chinese version of Car Free Day as a means of fighting the pollution that poses a serious risk to the Games. Just for one day, certain areas of the capital and other cities were off limits to cars.
The Chinese press (a mouthpiece for the government) heavily promoted the importance of Car Free Day:
Today's Car-Free Day is significant both for China and the rest of the world.
It is the first time that 108 Chinese cities will take part in the annual global event, which dates back to the 1950s.
China is an important participant in the campaign. The country became the world's second-largest auto market and third-largest carmaker last year.
It has also become the second-largest greenhouse gas producer in the world, and is rapidly catching up with the United States, the largest emitter.
While Car-Free Day in Beijing got a lukewarm response two years ago, the keen participation of 108 cities this year shows growing public concern about the traffic and environmental problems caused by cars.
Today, all cars will be barred from selected areas in these 108 cities. People will be encouraged to walk, cycle and use public transport.
A massive week-long campaign promoting the use of public transport started in all of these cities on September 16. Many government officials have also pledged their support by vowing to use only public transport.
In true Chinese style, the government points out how important it is for China to participate to give anything legitimacy:
In this sense, China's participation will greatly strengthen the Car-Free Day movement.
And guess what? People said screw this Car Free Day crap, I have to get around:
More than 100 Chinese cities including Beijing staged a "Car Free Day" Saturday to fight congestion and pollution, but the streets of the capital remained defiantly clogged with traffic jams.
Beijing's middle class climbed into their cars to go shopping and touring as usual, apparently disregarding an injunction to leave the vehicles at home -- a pattern that seemed to be repeated in the other 107 participating cities.
"It's the same as always," said taxi driver Dong Yongjun, as he navigated up the capital's congested Third Ring Road. "I don't see any difference."
The situation was similar in other major cities, such as Shanghai and Wuhan, a vast industrial city in the centre of the country.
A time-limited prompted by a specific goal, with the full support of the government propaganda machine, and they couldn't pull it off. Kyoto and any follow on treaties would require broad permanent reductions, and with specific goal or event, just some vague reference to warming. Even if the temperature continues to go up (which it would if this turns out to be connected with natural solar cycles) the proponents will unprovably argue it would have been worse. Why would people in China or anywhere else agree to that when they couldn't even agree to leave their cars at home for one day?
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Comments
'world's most carefully controlled population'? Maybe that is what we have been told by our 'government controlled press'?
Obviously if these people chose to drive in spite of government orders they are not as tightly controlled as we have been led to believe.
I find it interesting how our press and governments decry the control by government in other countries but move as fast as they can to emulate those actions themselves. Maybe it is time for a re-think of all the propaganda we have been fed over the years?
BTW--did you catch the news clip with Mattel stating that not all the problems with the toys are the fault of China--it was a 'design flaw' with Mattel! I guess Mattel would rather shoulder some of the blame rather than lose it's access to slave labour?
I wonder if the people of china will ever follow the Kyoto scam the way the sheep of the West are? Will they be mandated to use only poisonous lightbulbs by 2012? Will they follow that dictate. Obviously the people of China have more courage and smarts than we do.
Posted by: George at September 23, 2007 06:12 AM
Right on George! There isn't a "federalista" skank in our centralist political party cartels that didn't wish they had the unaccountable arbitrary powers of the communist commissariats...Kyoto is testament to that...a flimsy excuse using junk science to scare us into allowing the state deeper control of our lives and property....Chinese have suffered for generations under this crap and now they have a small taste of civil freedom are saying "Phuc yu" to political strong men and buraucratic control freaks....we should as well.
I agree with you about Mattel...it was pathetic watching the CEO belly crawl to a commie autocrat just so he didn't get cut off from his wind fall profiteering on slave labor and free polluting in China.
For that alone patriots in the free nations should have a Mattel embargo.
Posted by: WL Mackenzie Redux at September 23, 2007 11:18 AM
Chinese people are nationalists but they are as unimpressed by their government as westerners are. They just don't like it when foreigners attack China or Chinese government policies.
Posted by: southernontarioan at September 23, 2007 06:52 PM
The buses in any Chinese city are always crammed to over capacity, so why would people try to use them and not be able to get on them. Cities would need to at least triple the number of busses on the road which with the extra diesel fumes would defeat the object. Also it is no different to Canada, the buses do not always go where you want to go. It should be noted that the Guangzhou local government refused to take part in this car-free day for those reasons saying it was impractical.
Besides the Mattel fiasco another US company has admitted it is not the fault of China with respect to the manufacture of a make of cot/crib which if assembled wrongly can kill babies, but is the fault of a design engineer, someone who has not heard of Murphy’s law.
No matter what people think of these admissions they have certainly destroyed western credibility when it comes to pointing the finger at the Chinese, now they are just pointing back.
The Chinese have been using those light bulbs George (not mandated) longer than Kyoto because electricity is very expensive and they are cheap to use.
Posted by: Pissedoff at September 24, 2007 02:55 AM
That is my point about those lightbulbs--they ARE mandated in Canada starting in 2012! Democracy right down to the lightbulbs? Isn't it interesting though--the fingerpointing at China does not mention that most of these lightbulbs are made in China. To follow the mandated use of these lightbulbs to it's logical conclusion, it is safe to use lightbulbs from China but nothing else? Anything for Kyoto?
Posted by: George at September 24, 2007 06:24 AM
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