Heat and light on global warming

Re “Kyoto’s failures haunt new U.N. talks,” Dec. 3

The Kyoto Protocol has done little to curb global warming, and the U.S. has done less. Under President Clinton, U.S. greenhouse gas emissions grew, and that growth has continued under President Bush. Without support from China and the U.S., the two major producers of greenhouse gases, any replacement for the Kyoto Protocol is doomed, yet both of these countries are adamant about their unwillingness to participate. China wants the rich countries, especially the U.S., to do the heavy lifting, as well they should. The U.S. and other rich countries want everyone to join in, as well they should. This basic dilemma remains: How much economic growth should be sacrificed today to help future generations experience less warming than we have already assured them? Curbing greenhouse gas emissions requires paying costs today that will not return benefits until some vague tomorrow. As the famous economist John Maynard Keynes once remarked, “In the long run, we’re all dead.” Unless such economic thinking is altered, we can safely add, “In the long run, we’re all going to get warmer.”

Gary Peters

Paso Robles

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This article omits graphic representation of the U.S. change in emissions since 1990. Had the U.S. statistics been shown with the rest of the countries, everyone could easily see which country is the problem. A person looking for the U.S. statistics really has to search your article. The Kyoto Protocol is like a pact between friends to go on a diet. The only country that is ashamed to show its progress (or lack thereof) is the U.S., which ironically is eager to point out that the Europeans are slipping a little.

Diane Rabinowitz

Los Angeles