All Take, No Give, Part So Many I’ve Lost Count
The next time somebody whines about how the West exploited Russia after the fall of The Wall, and didn’t offer any meaningful economic assistance, ask them about this:
To say that Russia is hesitant about tackling climate change is putting it mildly. The last time the world tried to get the country’s cooperation on the issue was in 1997, during negotiations for the Kyoto Protocol (the international treaty on limiting greenhouse-gas emissions). Because Russia is the world’s third largest source of emissions after the U.S. and China, the accord would have failed without it. So the treaty was written in a way that would allow Russia to keep polluting as much as it wanted and grant the country billions of dollars in emissions allowances to sell to other countries that needed to meet their Kyoto commitments. (Read about getting air traffic under control.)
As a U.N. official who participated in the talks put it, “Russia got the sweetest deal: free money, no restrictions.” But apparently even that wasn’t enough. It took another seven years of painstaking negotiations — and promises from the West to help Russia join the World Trade Organization (WTO) — to get the country to ratify the deal.
Note: not a US official, but a UN one said this.
And Russia still hasn’t been accepted into the WTO… (not that it’s necessarily in its interests to join it anyway).
Comment by Sublime Oblivion — November 8, 2009 @ 9:52 pm
Indeed, the Russian government appear to have learned from their experience of the 1990s – No one else will look after Russia’s interests, so they had better do it.
And from all the squawking from various Russophobes, they’re doing a much better job than Yeltsin/Kozyrev did.
Comment by rkka — November 9, 2009 @ 5:42 am
“China, India and other developing countries were not included in any numerical limitation of the Kyoto Protocol, because they were not main contributors to the greenhouse gas emissions in the pre-treaty industrialization period. China has since become the largest greenhouse gas emitter.”
Comment by lisa — November 9, 2009 @ 7:37 am
And that too, lisa.
Furthermore, it is the West which is behind around 75% of all the CO2 currently in the atmosphere (and climate projections show it suffering the least, relatively speaking), so it’s only fair that they should pay for their climate genocide.
Comment by Sublime Oblivion — November 9, 2009 @ 11:58 am
It’s really astounding (and truly offensive) how you three freakishly stupid losers lack the courage or intelligence to actually address to topic of SWP’s post, and instead rudely attempt to change the subject (because, of course, you can’t handle the actual point).
To repeat: “The treaty was written in a way that would allow Russia to keep polluting as much as it wanted and grant the country billions of dollars in emissions allowances to sell to other countries that needed to meet their Kyoto commitments.”
In other words, the world WENT OUT OF ITS WAY to bestow special FAVORS on Russia given to no other nation, yet Russia goes on pretending it is being persecuted. In other words, it goes on lying.
When one wants to understand why Russia doesn’t rank in the top 100 nations of the world for adult lifespan, one only needs to refer to the braying gibberish of “defenders” like you for the explanation. Russia can’t reform because it simply can’t handle the truth. Never has been able to, never will be.
And so it goes in Russia on the way to oblivion.
Comment by La Russophobe — November 10, 2009 @ 7:47 am
“It’s really astounding (and truly offensive) how you three freakishly stupid losers lack the courage or intelligence to actually address to topic of SWP’s post, and instead rudely attempt to change the subject (because, of course, you can’t handle the actual point).”
Boy, Phoby sure is entertaining as she works herself up.
“To repeat: “The treaty was written in a way that would allow Russia to keep polluting as much as it wanted and grant the country billions of dollars in emissions allowances to sell to other countries that needed to meet their Kyoto commitments.â€
Have there been any sales?
“In other words, the world WENT OUT OF ITS WAY to bestow special FAVORS on Russia given to no other nation, yet Russia goes on pretending it is being persecuted. In other words, it goes on lying.”
Have there been any sales of Russia’s carbon credits?
“When one wants to understand why Russia doesn’t rank in the top 100 nations of the world for adult lifespan, one only needs to refer to the braying gibberish of “defenders†like you for the explanation.
Actually, Russian life expectancy is improving, not that anyone would find that out from you.
“Russia can’t reform because it simply can’t handle the truth. Never has been able to, never will be.”
Russia is definitely progressing, and without submitting to the Anglo-American will. That really spins you into displays of impotent rage.
Very amusing to watch.
“And so it goes in Russia on the way to oblivion.”
Phoby, that’s so 1998, LOL!
Comment by rkka — November 10, 2009 @ 5:31 pm