The US compared to the European Kyoto signatories, coutesy of Mark Steyn, Daily Telegraph, 6th December, 2005:

"In the past third of a century, the American economy has swollen by 150 per cent, automobile traffic has increased by 143 per cent, and energy consumption has grown 45 per cent.

During this same period, air pollutants have declined by 29 per cent, toxic emissions by 48.5 per cent, sulphur dioxide levels by 65.3 per cent, and airborne lead by 97.3 per cent.

Despite signing on to Kyoto, European greenhouse gas emissions have increased since 2001, whereas America's emissions have fallen by nearly one per cent, despite the Toxic Texan's best efforts to destroy the planet."

So Wolfgang, compared to those who signed up for Kyoto it would appear that the US approach to the problem via technology and including the "major-players-in-waiting" (India, China and Brazil) seems to be having some effect. While those in Europe do the same with Kyoto as they do with all that "hard-and-fast" EU regulation, they simply play lip service to it without intending to actually comply with it. No fear when targets are not achieved, they will be revised, to be ignored once again.