Does anyone know much about Gwyn Prins? He is very critical of Kyoto and thus seems to adopt a stance similar to the US (and Canada). In an article in the National Post.
http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=c3385bf0-a6d4-469a-8122-282b4904a92c&k=64102
Here is a part of the article.
Echoing sentiments long associated with politicians such as Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President George Bush, the report says it is time to ditch the Kyoto Protocol because the United Nations treaty has "failed."
Not only has the decade-old treaty not delivered cuts in global emissions of greenhouse gases which continue to soar, but it is the wrong tool for the job, say Gwyn Prins of the London School of Economics and Steve Rayner at Oxford. Their commentary has top billing in the influential British science journal this week. "
His solution is to devote huge amounts to research and new clean technology.
"What is needed is a massive increase in spending on clean-energy technologies, say Prins and Rayner, who want energy research and development placed on "wartime footing."
"It seems reasonable to expect the world's leading economies and emitters to devote as much money to this challenge as they currently spend on military research -- in the case of the United States about $80 billion a year."
This seems pure fantasy and major polluters are even less likely to achieve targets--because for on thing major polluters will not be willing to devote this much money to the task or put nations on a war footing.
In effect what Prins and Rayner are doing is providing an apologia for major polluters to sabotage setting firm targets etc. Even if the funds were forthcoming there is no guarantee it would produce enough clean technology in time to avoid disaster.
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