Kyoto Architect Says China ahead of Canada

June 5th, 2006 2:00 PM

Normally I don't dabble in the liberal toils of Great White North newspapers, but this one I can't resist. The Toronto Star reporters that Maurice Strong, the lead architect of the Kyoto Protocol says that China is more progressive than Canada in tackling pollution and global climate change.

Really? Canadians wear masks because it's cold. The Chinese wear them because you can't breathe through all the pollution. Which city shuts down factories the week before dignitaries visit so you can see the sky, Toronto or Hong Kong? Which country has 7 of the 10 most polluted cities? Which country is exempt from having to curb pollution under the Kyoto Protocol anyway?

But don't take my word for it, let's go to the tape. In the picture here, from a NASA satellite, you'll see the cloud of filth that moves from factories and power plants in China throughout the rest of the world. Every day. Most of what you see is acid-rain causing sulfur dioxide belched into the air, but there's enough CO2 to keep Al Gore sipping lemonade all year 'round.

I don't recall ever seeing a cloud like that coming out of Canada. Is this what makes China progressive?

The next time someone starts about Al Gore, inconvenient truths, SUVs, or how horrible America is in the area of environmental protections, remember this picture. We aren't at the heart of the problem. And nothing is going to force China to change, not even the Kyoto Protocol.