Actually, amazing as it may seem, the US is actually talking about RAISING their emissions. Their argument is that the area of forest should count against the amount of CO2 produced, and although the CO2 quota is being reduced, adding the "forest bonus" actually increases the amount of CO2 they're allowed to produce. This in spite of the fact that the environmental scientists say that the forest area doesn't have any offset effect on pollution produced.

This doesn't even cover their argument for "selling carbon", ie. they can weasel out of it by buying quota from poorer countries. The duplicity of it makes me sick - all it's saying to the rest of the world is that bcos America is rich, Americans are allowed to treat the environment like shit and get away with it. I know many folks on here are American and don't agree with this policy - I'm not trying to get at Americans in general, just at the maniacs in charge.

And while we're at it, there's engine size for American cars. No-one can seriously make a case for a 4-litre engine in a car that's used for commuting or around-town use, or for the SUVs which are springing up everywhere. CARB (the California Air Resources Board) keeps a list of which cars have achieved low-emissions status - amazingly the 4.7l Dodge Durango qualifies as an "ultra-low emissions vehicle"! The reason is that American regulations simply go on percentages of emissions rather than absolute quantity of pollutants, which is a supurious comparison. If you're interested, check out this link for lists of so-called "low emission" vehicles, and be prepared to laugh in disbelief.

Grab.