One of the most significant developments over the summer - and hardly noticed - was the formation of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development (APPCD). I wrote a ten point briefing on the Partnership and argued that its emphasis on technological solutions to ecological problems was far superior to the growth-depressing 'tomato environmentalism' of Kyoto.
Another significant development has just occured on this environmental front and it, too, has been little noticed. Tony Blair has all but buried the Kyoto Treaty. James Pinkerton on the 'eco-realist' TechCentralStation.com has exposed our Prime Minister's repositioning.
Speaking alongside his triangulating buddy, Bill Clinton, at the launch of the Clinton Global Initiative, Tony Blair promised "brutal honesty" about Kyoto. "My thinking has changed in the past three or four years," he said, "No country is going to cut its growth." Fast-growing developing countries like China and India [who were never covered by Kyoto] are "not going to start negotiating another treaty like Kyoto". Tony Blair continued:
"What countries will do is work together to develop the science and technology….There is no way that we are going to tackle this problem unless we develop the science and technology to do it."
This, of course, is how the opponents of Kyoto and the signatories of the Bush-Howard-led APPCD have always justified their non-compliance with a Treaty that never included the nations who were likely to account for the bulk of tomorrow's environmentally-impactful activities.
James Pinkerton is right. Kyoto is effectively dead. We now need to develop the approach of the APPCD with some added government-led incentivisation of clean technology use.
Tim Yeo and John Gummer- please take note and stop dancing to to Greenpeace's tune.
Posted by: Selsdon Man | September 18, 2005 at 22:42