Another reason why the Kyoto Protocol is a joke:

Environment Minister Lee Kyoo-yong said Monday that the country will not accept a compulsory greenhouse gas emission reduction plan such as the Kyoto Protocol.

Instead, he said he will ask for more efforts for additional gas reductions by the so-called developed countries at the 13th United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to be held at Bali, Indonesia from Dec. 3-14.

Korea has long been considered as one of the fastest economically developing countries and its greenhouse gas emission increased by 90 percent between 1990 and 2004.  [Korea Times]

How is Korea considered a "developing nation"?  Korea is more advanced than so called "developed" countries I have been to in Europe and nearly on par with Japan which is considered a "developed" country.  However, I do have to say that the Koreans are very smart on their handling of the Kyoto Protocol.  The Korean government knew they could not meet the emissions targets without devastating their economy and thus worked on getting themselves classified as a "developing" nation in order to not have to do anything. 

Now compare Korea’s behavior to the countries who did sign the treaty.  Let’s start with Japan where the treaty was originally drafted.  Japan instead of cutting emissions has had their emissions rise by 6% despite the government’s best efforts to cut emissions. 

In eastern Europe these nations will meet the protocol requirements because the emissions cuts were based off of 1990 levels which was before the Eastern European economies collapsed with the fall of the Soviet Union.  In most of Western Europe emissions have risen and most will not meet the treaty’s requirements, but they have cleverly linked themselves into one big European block for the required emissions cuts.  This means that the reduced emissions in Eastern Europe due to the fall of the Soviet Union is enough to make up for all the increased emissions in Western Europe.  The Kyoto Protocol allows the Europeans to do next to nothing in regards to emissions but can still play the holier than thou card against the US.   

Unfortunately Canada does not have the luxury of having collapsed countries make up for their increased emissions.  The Canadians have faired the worst under the Kyoto Protocol because their emissions have risen by 27% with no hope of meeting the emissions cut requirements by the 2010 deadline.  What is ironic about this is that the United States who did not ratify the Kyoto Treaty had only a 16% growth in emissions during this same timeframe.  Faced with this reality, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper last year cut environmental funding and did away with taxes to fund climate change programs. Canada who is one of the countries that originally promoted and ratified the treaty is now in line with the United States government’s policy on the Kyoto Agreement.

For Japan and Canada to be compliant with the Kyoto Protocol by 2010 they will both have to buy massive carbon offsets which is nothing more than income redistribution.  Plus this is income redistribution that the socialists in Europe do not have to take part in because of them being bailed out by Eastern Europe.  Is it any secret now why Europe so eagerly signed up for the protocol?  They had nothing to lose and everything to gain.  The Kyoto Protocol had nothing to do with the environment and everything to do with America bashing and income redistribution. 

Faced with these facts what is worse?:  A country that recognized reality and did not sign up for something they could not meet or a country that signed up for something, expresses how holier than thou they are, and then does not meet the agreement or in the case of Europe, meet the agreement only through smoke and mirrors?  With this reality, Korea should be commended by their very smart position on the Kyoto Protocol.