Summit Leaders Plan Kyoto Protocol Replacement

Obama administration officials say they strongly believe that the meeting in Washington this past monday has improved the chances for a new treaty to address climate and global warming. The meeting of the world’s 16 “major emitters” and the European Union [EU] made up the conference. The new treaty will hopefully effected and replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol after the international meeting in Copenhagen in December of this year.

While President Obama has his own goals of cutting U.S. emissions by 15% by 2020, the EU has its own targets, while developing nations must find the balance between cutting emissions and reducing poverty. It is important to keep in mind the quite a few industrialized nations have not met targets set in the Kyoto agreement, which will void in 2012.

The conflict to this subject is mainly the gap between industrialized states and developing states. Developing economies such as China and India need to find ways to both cut back on emissions and decrease poverty levels, while a few European nations and the U.S. propose cuts far greater that the proposed 15%.

Although this is a rather persistent problem, it has been reported that all of the delegates in Washington are very supportive of this matter and without a doubt are willing to make the right decisions that will push the Kyoto protocol replacement treaty through the upcoming meetings in Paris, Italy, and Copenhagen.

With these upcoming conferences and further discussion of slowing climate change and global warming, we will definitely find the answers to our problems. With those answers, we will also pave the path to a more sustainable world and learn to live in balance with our environment.

Original article: VOA News, April 28, 2009

The "Major Emitters"

Sixteen nations known as “major emitters” are held accountable for over 75% of greenhouse gas emissions. These nations are dutifully taking steps to work together and slow down the pace of global warming and climate change, beginning with a conference in Washington, D.C. on Monday.

The Obama administration, like the major emitters, is hoping to develop an emission treaty and is working with China to cut back on emissions. A group of politically powerful nations including the U.S., China, Japan, and Australia, is working together for major progress in the fields of climate-changing and global warming.

Because of this, national leaders in several countries are looking to incorporate businesses in the “clean-energy quest”. This is a great way to not only help stop climate change, but also to try and stimulate the economy back into action, and I back this fully.

With the power of several politically-strong nations and hundreds of company looking forward to a deal that will limit emissions, help the environment, and promote sustainable technologies, this meeting of the major emitters is a great step forward to living in balance with out world.

Original Article: NPR, April 27, 2009

North Korea Goes Nuclear

As of last Friday, it’s been considered official: North Korea is a nuclear power, many world leaders and nuclear defense experts agree. And whether you choose to accept it or not, the fact is that they have nuclear weapons and are not afraid to use it.

During the past several years, North Korea has been testing and designing nuclear warheads. Up until recently as last year, it was thought that the weapons were too bulky to be crafted onto a missile. However, by the end of 2008, North Korea appeared next to India, China, Pakistan, and Russia on the list of Asia’s nuclear powers.

It is important to keep in mind that with these nuclear warheads, Pyongyang could literally make waste of the US bases in Japan, South Korea, and the island of Guam. Because of the design of the missiles, the long-range missiles are less of a threat than the short-range missiles, being harder to detect.

Because of the nuclear threat, it is becoming a necessity to have defenses against these types of technology, but the one thing that we do not want to do is fight weapons with weapons. The US has a strong influence in the region surrounding North Korea and it must step in and be a moderator in this race of arms.

Nuclear weapons are far too powerful to be put in the hands of a single person or entity. Wherever there are weapons there can never be the guarantee of peace, which is something, no matter what race you are, is always desirable.

Original article: Times Online, April 24, 2009