In contrast to the first, which proceeded at a leisurely pace and involved at most a few tens of millions of people, this latter-day reenactment is running at breakneck speed carrying along more than a billion participants. China has little room to maneuver. I saw the problem firsthand and had a clear sense of the complex choices facing the Chinese government when I visited the city of Chongqing a few years ago. The plant was in clear violation of China's admirable laws for environmental protection. As my host explained, they had few options for action.
Pollution emanating from the Asian landmass is detectable in Hawaii.
Agreements reached at Kyoto should involve obligations not only for the industrialized world but also for large developing nations such as China. All of which brings us, finally, to the crucial question of will. The world looks to the United States for leadership in Kyoto. I am optimistic that we will meet the challenge, but mindful also of the political realities. Democrats lost control of Congress in 1994 in part as a result of the Clinton administration's proposal of a relatively modest tax on energy.