Kyoto – A Perspective (Part1)

KYOTO – A PERSPECTIVE.

By TonyfromOz

The trouble with something like this is just where to start, because it’s just such an emotive thing, sadly represented in ways to suit the purposes of those with differing agendas.

I’m from Australia, so don’t allow that to affect your thinking, because I’m also guided by the quote under the heading referring to “common sense”.

So, for a starting point, I want you to look at this map.

This map is widely and freely available, and for attribution purposes this map is also seen at the Wikipedia site.

This is a map showing those Countries on the Planet that have signed, and then gone on to ratify the Kyoto protocol, two different things. Signing it indicates you agree in principle with the intent of the Protocol, and what is said. Ratifying it means that you are bound to act upon it in the way indicated within that Protocol. A little tricky to understand, but I’ll try and explain a little of what that means. All of the Countries highlighted in red are those that have signed but not yet ratified the Protocol. Funny thing is this, There’s only one patch of red on that map. The US. They have signed but not ratified the Protocol.

This map seems innocuous enough, but subliminally it is in actual fact a pointed accusing finger. All those Nations on the Planet have ratified Kyoto, and this map points that finger and says, “well look who hasn’t.” See the point?

The Protocol was drawn up by the UN. Yes, that erstwhile body of all the World’s nations, that relies on the US to provide them with land and a huge building to meet in, to house them all when they meet, to give them transport and safe passage (and immunity) to foot the majority of the bills, to provide the military might as required, (because only the US has the capability to do that) and then to draw all the flak when things get dirty as they always do, then accept responsibility and suffer the sanctions.

Why can’t the United Nations just point its finger at rogue States, and just say, “You’re a very naughty boy”. They’ll get the message.

So the UN draws up this protocol, and says global warming is a menace and we must do something about it. So they all sit down, draw up plans on what to do, set arbitrary targets, decide what to do, how to do it, and who gets to do it, and most important, who foots the bill.

Now, before we go on any further, it’s only prudent that I give you my point of view on Global warming.

Back in the sixties and seventies when I was training for my trade with the Air Force, the training establishment was in Wagga Wagga, a country town in Southern Central New South Wales. Each morning they had a report for the farmers, you know, conditions, sale prices, when and where crops were being put in or harvested. Once a week, as part of that, there was a report from a long range weather forecaster, in this case Lennox Walker. I know that when long range weather forecasting is mentioned, people think mumbo jumbo, but this fellow had two others before him, and had incredibly detailed records ranging back 100 years. He based his weather on Sunspot activity, and not only were his records accurate, and then proven correct virtually every time, but the farmers religiously followed his reports, and actually based increased crop planting, harvesting, new farm machinery purchases and the like on just those reports. His predictions are still followed to this day, and he has handed over to his son Hayden Walker, who carries on the work, with an impressive list of accurately detailed records now going back 150 years and more.

This gave me an insight into the weather, not that I can lay any claim to being an expert.

He bases his weather on the activities of the Sun. Other forecasters base their weather on the Moon, and then you have the daily weather forecasters.

Then along comes Al Gore.

I actually spoke with someone interested in the environment, Professor Ron Nielson.

He is a retired Nuclear Physicist, and lecturer at the Australian National University, and has an esteemed respect throughout the World.

He wrote an excellent handbook in respect of the environment, titled “The Little Green Handbook”.

There was a story going around in the middle of last year regarding how Mars was also warming, and that if so, then would that not be an indicator that the Sun was causing the warming on all planets including Earth.

Professor Nielson has a program where he answers questions on talk back radio. One morning I joined the queue, but there were many before me and I did not get to air. However after the program he took my call, and because we were not bound by the time set aside for a short thing on the radio, we talked for close on a half hour, and he was most articulate on the matter, and convincing. What I wanted to ask him was about this phenomenon of the Sun warming Mars as well as the Earth and was this not an explanation for Global warming, and that Al Gore was hysterically at the complete opposite end of that scale. The esteemed Professor said that there was no question that Man has caused some of this warming, and that it was most exacerbated in recent times, but that the real part of the story was somewhere in the middle, and that Al Gore might just have his own agenda, related somewhat but not wholly to the real problem. He explained it rationally, and what he said actually sealed it for me. The naysayer’s are at one end and Gore is at the other end. The real problem is somewhere in that middle area, but that Mr Gore is further from the middle than those naysayer’s, a long, long way further. The trouble is that his voice is the loudest, he has received the most kudos, and people point to him and say that must be true, because of his excellent skills at oratory.

So, yes, I do believe that what we have done is a minor contributing factor to global warming, but I’m not from that “over the top crowd”. I believe that Global Warming does exist, because there is documented proof from the dawn of time here on Earth that the Planet has indeed gone through Warming phases and Cooling phases, and these will continue for as long as the Planet is in existence. What I do dispute is the fact that this warming is in fact caused by man, and by man made emissions of Carbon Dioxide Greenhouse Gas.

So, Kyoto.

In December just gone, Australia ratified the protocol. It was a plank of the recent election and anyone might think it was the single most important thing that Australia needed to do.

Kyoto was hard to sell in Australia, and I’ll explain just why and then how marketing made it into something really big. Australia’s contribution to the production of greenhouse gases amounts to 0.3% of the whole World total. That’s a third of one percent, or one three hundredth of that total. That was never going to fly. So insignificantly minute, that it is not even as much as one sip out of a large mug full of coffee. Also, greenhouse gas production sees Australia as the smallest producer of those gases in respect of area on the planet. That was never going to fly either. So what they settled on was this. Per capita head, in those large and densely populated areas, Australia tanks in the top ten, or even the top 5 in the World. That effectively puts us up there with those large polluters. That gave it wings and made it fly. That made it acceptable. That sold it. Highlight top five. Highlight per capita head. Go easy on the densely populated areas. Play up to people’s guilt, and that because everyone else has signed, therefore it must be true, and we are holding out for the basest political reasons, and that we need to fall in line with the rest of reasoned humanity, and that the US is holding out for the same base reason, because they just want to go on polluting and the rest of the World can “Go Jump”, and that the only reason our politicians won’t ratify is that somehow, we are in cahoots with the Political leadership of the US, which is a really, really, bad thing, or so that side of politics would have us believe.

Now, remember this. Greenhouse gas equates to pollution which equates to killing the planet. Carbon Dioxide is supposedly the largest of those greenhouse gases.

Carbon Dioxide. What you breathe out. What every green thing on the planet requires to grow. A gas that is heavier than air. It’s hot and it rises and forms a huge protective blanket covering the Earth, because everybody knows hot air rises. This is what is keeping the heat in and causing global warming. True but only so far. A little known and misunderstood fact is that as you rise above the Earth’s surface, the temperature drops one degree Celsius for every 1500 Metres. So, conceivably, as that hot gas rises, it cools and then sinks back to Earth, or am I missing something here. You see hot air fronts blowing huge storm thunder heads high into the sky, but they then roll off the top cool, and sink.

So, now we’ve sold the Greenhouse gas thing to the public, remembering that ninety nine out of a hundred people have not the smallest understanding of the Science involved and will therefore tend to believe the loudest voice, who, speaking with the calm tone of reason, sounds somehow rational, believable, and honest, so why wouldn’t you believe that spin.

This is how that was sold here in Australia, keeping in mind that three months ago, that large map of Australia bottom right on the map was also red, that accusing UN finger pointing at us also. Now, we are no longer highlighted in red, subliminally the colour of danger, heat, guilt, bit now in a nice soft, safe clean green. Australia collectively sighed with relief when with a flourish, our new Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, in a dramatic and well publicised and visible photo opportunity, signed off on Kyoto, ratifying it on behalf of Australia.. Phew! Dodged a bullet there. Now we can join the throng pointing at that other smudge of red on the face of the Earth.

In my next piece, if you don’t mind my contribution, I’d like to look at some other aspects of the Protocol.

KPPSTony

Tagged: Air Force, Al Gore, Australia, carbon dioxide, Global Warming, greenhouse gases, guilt, Hayden Walker, Kevin Rudd, Kyoto Protocol, Lennox Walker, long range weather forecaster, Mars, New South Wales, photo opportunity, Professor Ron Nielson, U.S.A., United Nations.

Tagged: Kyoto, The Kyoto Series

Posted in: News, Political Prostitutes