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
=========================================================
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 far only Paul Birch and Mr. Lynn have seeming got it right. Japan won’t vote for extending Kyoto, because it is unfair to current signers. But would vote for a new treaty that includes everybody.
I say “seemingly” because others are correct also. The Japanese are NEVER that blunt in negotations. When they nod their heads in a discussion, it means “yes, I understand,” not “yes, I agree.”
They know that a new agreement is not going to happen, with China, India, and the U.S. congress not going along. So, they can have it both ways. First, upholding the goals of the alarmists. Isn’t that what the alarmists want- everyone has to be included? Why would the alarmists be upset with the Japanese? They just want fairness.
But, since a new treaty is not going to happen, they also get released from the things they signed up for in Kyoto. Very clever, the Japanese.
The majority of fossil fuel consumption (=CO2 emissions) now occurs in the ‘developing’ world which is exempt from Kyoto. And that part is rising strongly whereas consumption in the ‘developed’ world is static or falling. China alone burns 45% of all the coal used in the whole world.
Japan has a particular problem. It’s economy is already very energy efficient so it’s difficult to lower fuel use further.
Wow! It looks like the Canadians are using the same ploy and as the Japanese. Very clever, the Canadians.
Please don’t get your wires crossed. Most of our politicians and bureaucrats still believe in the crazy idea that we can save the planet by curbing CO2 emission , or at least so pretending. They only say, perhaps rightly, that the target cannot be attained by the efforts of limited number of countries (e.g., Japan occupies only 4% of global CO2 emission). In addition, a heavy CO2 emissions reduction will surely hurt our domestic industry, that has attained a high level of energy saving around 1985.
I would like to add that the media coverage on AGW has dramatically decreased since the end of 2009, probably as a fallout of Climategate.
Here’s an interesting quote (from John Kay in the FT) that sums up mainstream climate ‘science’ perfectly:
I learnt that anecdotes are more powerful than statistical data. I also learnt that opinion was often immune to contrary evidence, especially when that opinion expresses an underlying prejudice.
re post by Malaga View says: December 2, 2010 at 10:53 am
Sigh. Ya. AGW gravy trainers, can’t live with ’em, can’t eat ’em.
Douglas DC says:
December 2, 2010 at 4:08 pm
what is Japanese for “Put it where the sun doesn’t shine.”?
That would be “Please put it where the sun doesn’t shine.” of wich google translate makes “Taiyō ga kagayaite inai sore o doko ni oite kudasai”. But i would not bet on this being correct, for example Babel Fish re translates this as the rather confusing “Please put that the sun has not shone in somewhere”.
But then my understanding of the Japanese langauge is even less than that of climate and their models in general. I could have friend look at this, but it would be very unusual for a Japanese to be this blunt (even after the consumption of some or more alcoholic beverages).
In reading about this, I’d had the same thought as old engineer says: December 2, 2010 at 8:08 pm and very much hope this is a ploy on the part of the Japanese – e.g., they’ve stated ‘we won’t extend Kyoto because it needs to be a comprehensive treaty covering everyone’ — all the while hoping/expecting that there’s no way that can come about. End result, they’re relieved of their Kyoto obligations without anything new to take it’s place. I very much hope that’s the case, because what they’ve stated doesn’t sound as if they’re backing off AGW at all, unfortunately.
Only a couple of ways to get a better feeling for which it is come to mind off the top of my head. First, determine just how much effort, cost, and progress the Japanese have actually made towards their Kyoto obligations. If its very little, that’s promising. If, however, they’ve poured tons into really trying to reduce output and seem committed in that regard, that’s not so promising. I imagine some of you here probably know the answer to this right off.
Second, is what they do now. Do they sit back and watch the fireworks? Promising! Or do they start really trying to get other nations to commit to a more comprehensive treaty? To my mind, it doesn’t bode well that China has agreed to international verification of their emissions… if I understood that correctly anyhow.
Of course, the other thing we have going for us is that there are so many different countries involved its likely to be difficult to get all on board – but then they got a large number on for Kyoto.
Meanwhile, our admin here in the US is pushing it all on us by utter fiat, via the EPA and other various backdoor methods. NOT good.
“Looks like Canada may have to hand back it’s Fossil prize !!!”
You’ll have to pry it from our cold dead carbon based fossils hands! We’ve got plenty of em so good luck finding it!! Drumheller would be your best bet.
This is great news from Japan! I wonder what the undercurrents are? What do the Japanese politicians really think of the AGW Doomsday? Is it just a negotiating ploy or do they really want out of the whole mess? Maybe we need wikileaks whistleblower to out some more diplomatic messages?
Thank you WUWT for informing me of the Japanese statement. Being confined to the house by heavy rain and minor flooding in South East Australia and listening to half hourly news on radio and TV all day, no mention of Cancun.
Maybe the Emu on our Coat of Arms should be an Ostrich, or the Three Monkeys.
In the words of my generation
“OHH SNAP”!!!
kyoto is an anagram of Tokyo,
H/T to the Japanese for putting things straight again.
[d]
in·scribe (n-skrb)
tr.v. in·scribed, in·scrib·ing, in·scribes
1.
a. To write, print, carve, or engrave (words or letters) on or in a surface.
b. To mark or engrave (a surface) with words or letters.
2. To enter (a name) on a list or in a register.
3.
a. To sign one’s name or write a brief message in or on (a gift book or photograph, for example).
b. To dedicate to someone.
4. Mathematics To draw (one figure) within another figure so that every vertex of the enclosed figure touches the outer figure.
dwright says: December 2, 2010 at 10:29 pm
“Kyoto is an anagram of Tokyo”
A small lesson on the Japanese language:
For Kyoto, both “kyo” and “to” mean “capital”, so the name was born as duplicative emphasis.
For Tokyo, “to” means “east” and “kyo” is the same (capital) as in Kyoto.
Hence, Tokyo is equal to “eastern Kyoto”.
Oh, oh.
“UN demands “concrete results” from Cancun summit”
“Speaking to reporters in New York yesterday, UN under secretary general for planning Robert Orr said that the next Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report, which is due for release in 2014, will be much worse than the last report released in 2007.
That report warned that based on business-as-usual projections, average global temperatures could rise by as much as six degrees by the end of the century, resulting in a catastrophic impact on the global economy.”
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/1900141/demands-concrete-results-cancun-summit
Extensive and entertaining coverage of Cancun and more of this kind of ‘scientific’ information from the Green Inc. point of view avaialble at this site, including their take on this Japan story:
http://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/1929741/japan-ignites-cancun-row-refusal-extend-kyoto
It includes this: “China’s envoy, Su Wei, told reporters earlier today that Japan’s position threatened the future of the talks. “The Kyoto Protocol is the very basis of the framework to address climate change through international cooperation,” he said. “If the pillar is collapsed, you can guess the consequences.”
Seems Japan recognizes that crippling its economy while its rival China builds coal fired power plants as fast as it can is not such a good idea, for Japan, while China is shocked, shocked, by Japan’s planet-hating attitude.
I always thought that Japan would be one of the first (if not THE first) industrialized countries to break ranks with AGW political correctness. Not for the reasons that they cited in public, nor for the ones theorized above in this thread. The reason I expected Japan to break ranks, and the REAL reason in my opinion, is that they have some serious long term climate reconstructions that have quietly been published with little fanfare. While the entire world seems transfixed with the debate over various proxy reconstructions from tree rings made into hockey sticks by dubious or outright dishonest math, researchers in Japan have been building a credible millenial reconstruction based on historical blooming dates of cherry trees, and in all of places, Kyoto.
Their technique shows astonding correlation with the intrumental temperature record, suffers no “divergence” problem that anyone must hide, and can be accurately gauged in terms of UHI. Check out the work of Aono et al
http://www.envi.osakafu-u.ac.jp/atmenv/aono/AonoWe.html
And in particular, this study:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/e13r57081qk84930/fulltext.pdf
Recently published in the International Journal of Biometeorology which amongst other conclusions says the LIA and MWP were clearly present in Japan and
“The warm springtime temperatures in the middle of
the tenth century were almost the same or somewhat higher
than present normal temperatures after subtracting the urban
warming effect”
These researchers are well known in Japan, their work makes a mockery of Mann, Jones and Briffa, and I suspect the Japanese are simply bowing out because they know the facts, but for what ever reason would rather just bluntly say no than insult their peers by pointing out how easily they’ve been duped.
I’ve pointed at these studies many times in many places. Perhaps given that the Kyoto cherry blossoms are discrediting the Kyoto accords and the hockey stick reconstructions, while proving the world wide existance of the LIA and MWP, and correlating to the sun spot cycles with a 15 year lag time over a 1,000 year period, it is time for WUWT to run some articles on this very well done science? Discrediting the Yamal larch thing is no longer as much fun as it was. And less so in Japan.
“
Qatar gets the World Cup in 2020. It’s a hunndred and six degrees by noon in Qatar at the time of the World Cup. What team in their right mind would want to play in 106 degrees when they can be playing in Barcelona on a nice balmy 89 degree day?
Oh, it’s OK, the stadiums will be air conditioned.
If I wanted air conditioning, I’d just go down to my local stadium when it’s hot and watch the hockey game. The teams want to experience the outdoors while they are playing. I don’t know why, and so do the people at the event.
There’s something more going on with this Qatar pick and it probably has more to do with money than most people think.
Or could it be the people of Qatar just want to give the rest of the world a glimpse of how the live, welcoming you into their back yard for a once in a lifetime glimpse into their world that most people watching don’t get to see much of?
I here they even have an indoor ski resort in Qatar.
I’m a little bit conflicted.
And another thing;
Everybody must be in their air conditioned palaces by noon. Only mad dogs and Englishmen in Qatar stand out in the noon day sun during the World Cup.
I know this news is monumental.
Look for a ripple effect in Europe.
I think You’ll enjoy this.
Enron Andersen’s Christmas party
It’s pretty cold here too in SW Florida. Right now it’s about 50*.
They are as we speak, drilling holes in the ground and pumping is CO2 in the ground for safe keeping.
I’m just saying.
Anthony/Mr Moderator I post the following quite often so ditch if you wish.
The following is what the boys were up to pre Kyoto 1997, enjoy:-
From: Joseph Alcamo
To: m.hulmexxxxxxxxx.xxx, Rob.Swartxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Subject: Timing, Distribution of the Statement
Date: Thu, 9 Oct 1997 18:52:33 0100
Reply-to: alcamoxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Mike, Rob,
Sounds like you guys have been busy doing good things for the cause.
I would like to weigh in on two important questions —
Distribution for Endorsements —
I am very strongly in favor of as wide and rapid a distribution as
possible for endorsements. I think the only thing that counts is
numbers. The media is going to say “1000 scientists signed” or “1500
signed”. No one is going to check if it is 600 with PhDs versus 2000
without. They will mention the prominent ones, but that is a
different story.
Conclusion — Forget the screening, forget asking
them about their last publication (most will ignore you.) Get those
names!
Timing — I feel strongly that the week of 24 November is too late.
1. We wanted to announce the Statement in the period when there was
a sag in related news, but in the week before Kyoto we should expect
that we will have to crowd out many other articles about climate.
2. If the Statement comes out just a few days before Kyoto I am
afraid that the delegates who we want to influence will not have any
time to pay attention to it. We should give them a few weeks to hear
about it.
3. If Greenpeace is having an event the week before, we should have
it a week before them so that they and other NGOs can further spread
the word about the Statement. On the other hand, it wouldn’t be so
bad to release the Statement in the same week, but on a
different day. The media might enjoy hearing the message from two
very different directions.
Conclusion — I suggest the week of 10 November, or the week of 17
November at the latest.
Mike — I have no organized email list that could begin to compete
with the list you can get from the Dutch. But I am still
willing to send you what I have, if you wish.
Best wishes,
Joe Alcamo
Fremma says:
December 2, 2010 at 12:37 pm
Wild guess is that inscribe means sign so they are saying they are not signing up to any extention.
Well we have had conspicuous consumption on the opening party and now a little reality. Well done Japan. We need America to now stand up and state the same and it will be the end of Cancun and renamed to Cancan’t. ( I think this was first said by Anthony W. so I apologize for the plagiarism.).
Anybody know how 2010 can be the hottest year on record when it has not ended?
One explanation could be that the data for December has just been conjured from thin air, much like the data used by Phil Jones et al and the UEA.