Bark Without Bite: The US, Climate Change, and the Kyoto Protocol

Reading Howe’s article reminds me that the US does a decent amount to say it will work on its carbon footprint and sign laws, but often doesn’t follow through on it meaningfully. This is shown primarily by the Kyoto Protocol, but the article goes into many deeper reasons for this. One of the largest reasons Howe cites early in the article is the rationale scientists hold as experts on any given topic: “As a group, scientists are by professional training and often by personality predisposed to avoid political advocacy.” (Howe 8) Through avoiding the limelight and the political side of the discussion, it’s difficult to both start and guarantee change in the real world. Despite the knowledgeable people speaking out in favor of the environment, private interests often take priority over it.