The Kyoto treaty

Thanks for your excellent coverage of global warming and the Kyoto conference on greenhouse gases.

The Kyoto treaty represents only the first baby steps toward dealing with global warming. The pollution limits set by the treaty are risky for us, dangerous for our children, and potentially catastrophic for our grandchildren.

Despite the treaty’s weaknesses, polluting industries are scrambling to sabotage it. Industry lobbyists have claimed that developing countries shirked their international responsibilities by not signing the agreement in Kyoto. Yet as recently as October, trade representatives for fossil fuel industries, including the CEO of Exxon, were urging developing countries to resist participation in a global climate agreement in return for U.S. investments.

Industry opponents are trying to demonstrate that the treaty will hurt the U.S. economy. Such predictions are always made to block environmental progress and are always wrong. When regulations to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions that cause acid rain were passed several years ago, opponenets said the cost to eliminate a ton of sulfur dioxide from the atmosphere would be $1,500. The actual cost? Ninety dollars per ton.

Perhaps the money they spend on lobbyists would be better spent reducing pollution and increasing efficiency. Matthew Scease Sierra Club Maine Chapter Portland