Some analysts say this would require a reduction of 50 per cent per capita in the C02 emissions that would, save for Kyoto, have occurred in North America in 2012. The Kyoto Protocol must be ratified by at least 55 nations, including countries accounting for 55 per cent of the industrial countries' emissions. If Kyoto is ratified, legislation will follow that could include significant disincentives to fossil-fuel consumption, which could affect the demand for everything from drilling rigs to the steel that goes into cars and trucks. Many industrial processes that emit C02 would be discouraged, and some of those industries would shift to developing countries where no limits apply. Economic growth in North America would be dampened, unemployment would rise and incomes would lag behind their current potential.
Governments sometimes resort to doubtful science to escape difficult political decisions.
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