Bali Starts Off With a Misfire; Aim Gets Worse

Meanwhile, U.S. Senate Committee Passes Unilateral Climate Change Bill

DALLAS, Dec. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Australia's new government stepped
boldly forward at the climate change conference in Bali and backed the
conference plan to cut emissions 25 to 40 percent from 1990 levels by 2020.
But as NCPA Senior Fellow H. Sterling Burnett points out, the new government
of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd forgot to consult constituents down under.

"Mr. Rudd's abrupt about-face is emblematic of what's wrong with the Bali
conference," Burnett said. "Developing countries, at least those with
strengthening economies, have a more thoughtful approach. That's why they
haven't signed the agreement, and won't."

Facing complaints from home that the Bali plan would cause a pronounced rise
in electricity prices, the Rudd government struck a hasty retreat.

"The Rudd government's signature ignored the sound analysis of the previous
Australian administration," Burnett added. "But Australia has the same
problem that all other potential Bali signatories have: They are not meeting
and will not meet the emissions targets the treaty demands."

None of the countries that signed the Kyoto treaty are on schedule to meet
emissions targets --- not Japan, or Canada, or the European Union. And the
U.S., which did not sign the Kyoto treaty, has slowed emissions to a greater
extent than countries that did.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works
Committee passed a bill that would establish the first nationwide
cap-and-trade system to reduce global warming pollution.

Congress's action was praised in Bali where foreign delegates and
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) hope it will increase pressure on
President Bush to sign to a new treaty including binding emission reductions
on the U.S. At the same time, all signs indicate that developing countries,
like China and India, won't sign a treaty with binding emission cuts, such as
the Bali proposal.

"Politicians in developing countries are unwilling to impose the harm to their
economies and unnecessary sacrifices on their people Kyoto-style treaties
require unless there is some miracle that results in greater, relatively
inexpensive, reliable energy production," Burnett said. "Unlike their
counterparts in more developed countries, they are reluctant to drop the 'Bali
time bomb' on future legislators and generations."

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SOURCE National Center for Policy Analysis

Elysa Nelson of the NCPA, +1-972-308-6477, elysa.nelson@ncpa.org