Japan in 1997:
Japan today:
Cancún climate change summit: Japan refuses to extend Kyoto protocol
Talks threatened with breakdown after forthright Japanese refusal to extend Kyoto emissions commitments
* John Vidal guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 1 December 2010 18.16 GMT
Japan refuses to extend Kyoto protocol. ‘The forthrightness of the statement took people by surprise,’ said one British official
The delicately balanced global climate talks in Cancún suffered a serious setback last night when Japan categorically stated its opposition to extending the Kyoto protocol – the binding international treaty that commits most of the world’s richest countries to making emission cuts.
The Kyoto protocol was adopted in Japan in 1997 by major emitting countries, who committed themselves to cut emissions by an average 5% on 1990 figures by 2012.
However the US congress refused to ratify it and remains outside the protocol.
The brief statement, made by Jun Arima, an official in the government’s economics trade and industry department, in an open session, was the strongest yet made against the protocol by one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases.
He said: “Japan will not inscribe its target under the Kyoto protocol on any conditions or under any circumstances.”
The move came out of the blue for other delegations at the conference.
more at the Guardian
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Reality bites, when Japan says something so blunt, you know they mean it – Anthony
h/t to WUWT reader Steve (Paris)
UPDATE: I’ve made this a “sticky” to stay at the top of WUWT awhile – Anthony
So the country that hosted that farce now rejects it. Can you get a better example of rejection of this political agenda?
To what delicate balance does the Grauniad refer? Whether or not the delegates can maintain a shred of dignity as the farce unfolds?
Kyoto has achieved precisely nothing. Even if you were a rabid believer in AGW catastrophism, it is obvious that there is absolutely no point in continuing. The EU will continue to offset their emissions to enable business as usual. Japan has merely stated the obvious.
Very well said, Japan! They are waking up and smelling the cherry blossoms.
Good for Japan!
Not that it’s likely, but wouldn’t it be awesome if the rest of the attending countries would do the same? I mean, in my ideal fantasy world they ALL stand up, admit the whole thing is a load of crap, and go home.
Good on them – I believe that they are following through on what Dr Kiminori Itoh started in June last year.
Such a forthright statement from a country like Japan really is one in the eye for the alarmists.
Looks like Canada may have to hand back it’s Fossil prize !!!
What sound does the first domino make?
Cue music: Fugue in G minor
And the signs were there just a week ago:
From the Guardian:
“If it proves to be a new, formal position rather than a negotiating tactic, it could provoke a walk-out by some developing countries and threaten a breakdown in the talks.”
One can only hope.
Kyoto was/is worthless if the goal is too actually make a difference in AGW. Just run the climate models with Kyoto and without Kyoto. The difference is negligible.
So what’s it really about then? Redistribution of wealth, perhaps? A signatory gets to send their factories and jobs to Asia and China, India, et al, get to pollute instead?
Daniel M says: “What sound does the first domino make?”
Thanks.
@ur momisugly Daniel M: riffing a bit
If a domino falls in Cancun, does it make a sound? Ummm… Yes, one that can be heard around the world
Sean Peake says:
December 2, 2010 at 8:43 am
Cue music: Fugue in G minor
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Strange, but the music running through my head was Judy Garland and a bunch of Munchkins. Although our warmist friends may instead prefer a piece from Chopin.
Wow! Not a lot of wiggle room there! I guess the Japanese got ticked that they didn’t win any of the “Fossil Of The Year’ awards, and are trying to make a bold, early run for next years contest!
Japan got the short end of the stick in the Kyoto protocol. It is one of the most energy efficient industrial powers yet it’s paying for carbon credits from the Ukraine (eastern Europe and the USSR under the Soviets were extraordinarily inefficient). The participants keep raising the spector of the USA and China but the baseline year of 1990 is also a factor. Japan aggressive pursued energy efficiency in the decade after the oil shock of the 1970’s so the low hanging fruit was gone by 1990. Europe on the other hand and a re-unified Germany in particular had knew they had a lot of excess credits from the inefficiency of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact nations. In 1997 when the treaty was hammered out Europe took advantage of this fact. Its no surprise that the country that did all the right things for all the wrong reasons (energy security vs. climate) but prior to an arbitrary date says enough is enough. Kyoto was deeply flawed and these flaws hit Japan harder than any other country. Add to this that China has surpassed Japan as the 2nd largest economy in the world but its still classified as a developing nation plus the clear signal from the US that it is also in not going to sign any kind of continuation of the Kyoto Treaty, the only thing surprising is that Japan did not get to this position much sooner.
And in related news: Turkeys vote to postpone Christmas….
I wonder why the Cancun-con doesn’t embrace nuclear power?
You know it makes sense: Just say NO to KYOTO… and you can exhale now…
Japan has a ring side seat with the worst poluter in the world – China. Any extension of Kyoto would hamstring the Japanese economy just as China is burgeoning. The Japanese did not build an economic empire on stupidity.
Many times on this site I read about things like 350, 10:10 and others that really depress me about the lack of intelligence (pure stupidty) thats out there. But when I read things like this story it’s very uplifting and gratifying and makes me feel all fuzzy and warm.
Thank you Anthony!
While Trondheim, Norway sees the coldest temperatures recorded in over 200 years.
Berlin is calling for -20C next week. It is freezing in the UK.
http://www.storm.no/nyheter/kulderekorden-ble-knust-3353713.html
I think Japan figures we can use all the CO2 we can get right about now!
“Kyoto has achieved precisely nothing.”
I don’t think this is true at all. The Kyoto Treaty achieved all sorts of things but similar to many climate models the original drafters of the agreement got the sign wrong. “Ohhh, it was a negative forcing all along, I guess we missed that one.”
Here are the top ten things achieved by Kyoto.
1. It got a Japanese city into the news for something other than earthquakes.
2. It provided the environmental movement with a new cause celeb.
3. It gave Bjorn Lomborg something to write about.
4. It provided the confidence to write e-mails outlining attempts to hijack science.
5. It legitimized the IPCC process.
6. It started the Chicago carbon exchange.
7. It allowed Michael Mann to rewrite clime history.
8. It allowed an Indian train engineer to start his own businesses.
9. It brought Phil Jones’ work to the forefront of scientific thought on climate.
10. It bought Al Gore a front row seat on the global warming bandwagon.
I like it. “No means no” in diplo-speak.
Who writes this wordy ethereal crap anyway?
Cut to the chase, “Japan cans it”
Who in their right mind would pay someone to do something
that they are not allowed to do, in the first place?