This July 28 letter from the National Academy of Sciences says that there is no existing way to monitor CO2 emissions around the world — meaning that there would be no way to verify that countries around the world are complying with emissions limits that may be set by international treaty.
Of course, monitoring and verification are just the first steps of enforcement. How would anyone actually compel China, India, Mexico, Russia and the rest of the developing world to comply with limits on emitting greenhouse gases?
Would the UN invade? Would Wal-Mart be forced to stop buying Chinese? What about the sort of international sanctions that have worked so well with Iran and North Korea? A beer summit? What?
As far as compliance from China, Russia, India and Mexico, just forget it. China and India are building coal powerplants just as fast as they can.
The Russian economy depends on oil production and they are exploring on and offshore everywhere they can.
Mexico depends heavily on oil revenue and actually has to import gasoline because thay have neglected their refineries. They also are spending billions to look for more oil.
Every nation with a coast is looking offshore for more oil. The US ban on offshore is the exception, not the rule. Cuba, for example, has at least six major national and private oil companies who have paid for leases just off of Florida Keys and have every intention of drilling.
Oil ain’t goin’ nowhere for a good long while, amigos.
I want to see the idiots stop an active volcano from emitting CO2.