The U.S. and Syria join hands in welcoming greenhouse emissions
North Korea, Iraq, and Yemen all signed on to the Paris Climate Accords two years ago despite being emeshed in conflict. So did the U.S.! Our involvement was surprising because we rarely sign on to any global treaties or laws. We do not recognize international law, human rights covenants, and many other agreements that are a natural part of the fabric for the entire rest of the world.
But fortunately we have a friend or two when it comes to climate change. First Syria. OK, it's true, Syria was under a western travel ban at the time the Accords were negotiated and signed. Representatives of Assad's government are not allowed to travel to the west, so the only way they could have participated was if the agreement was shipped to Russia for a special session.
Second, Nicaragua. Ortega's government refused to sign because they took the position that voluntary compliance wasn't enough--especially for countries like the U.S. which have a long history of ignoring climate rules.
So, really, the U.S. is still alone. Big, dumb, and happy to spew out more garbage than any one on earth. But hey, thanks to travel bans and actual principles, we have two buddies--Nicaragua and Syria! Maybe we'll get a few other malcontents now that we've wrecked all that work every one did a few years ago.
We are now really the laughingstock of the world. I'm too embarrassed to call my non-US friends to apologize.
Does any one benefit from our schizophrenic and undependable civic behavior? Five fat white guys who own coal mines? I don’t think this even helps them…that industry is done already for other reasons. Certainly doesn’t help employment—I saw a study that if you quadrupled coal production (which you can’t—there’s no market for all that coal), because of all the automation, only something like 200 new jobs would be created.
No jobs and we (and every one downwind of us) will be covered in soot and five guys would make a few more bucks. Pathetic. Tiny tiny country and tiny tiny president.
But fortunately we have a friend or two when it comes to climate change. First Syria. OK, it's true, Syria was under a western travel ban at the time the Accords were negotiated and signed. Representatives of Assad's government are not allowed to travel to the west, so the only way they could have participated was if the agreement was shipped to Russia for a special session.
Second, Nicaragua. Ortega's government refused to sign because they took the position that voluntary compliance wasn't enough--especially for countries like the U.S. which have a long history of ignoring climate rules.
So, really, the U.S. is still alone. Big, dumb, and happy to spew out more garbage than any one on earth. But hey, thanks to travel bans and actual principles, we have two buddies--Nicaragua and Syria! Maybe we'll get a few other malcontents now that we've wrecked all that work every one did a few years ago.
We are now really the laughingstock of the world. I'm too embarrassed to call my non-US friends to apologize.
Does any one benefit from our schizophrenic and undependable civic behavior? Five fat white guys who own coal mines? I don’t think this even helps them…that industry is done already for other reasons. Certainly doesn’t help employment—I saw a study that if you quadrupled coal production (which you can’t—there’s no market for all that coal), because of all the automation, only something like 200 new jobs would be created.
No jobs and we (and every one downwind of us) will be covered in soot and five guys would make a few more bucks. Pathetic. Tiny tiny country and tiny tiny president.
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