Russia's "Da' To Kyoto Hurts U.S.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

Environment: Vladimir Putin mustn't think much of Russia's economic future -- and even less of its economic ties to the U.S. Why else would he sign off on Kyoto?

By agreeing to the Kyoto treaty to cut output of global warming gases, Putin sold his nation's economic soul. And for what? Membership in the World Trade Organization? Cozier ties with Europe? A little diplomatic breathing room for Russia's bloody war against Chechen separatists?

If Putin thinks Russia will benefit much, he is shortsighted and foolish. As his own top economic adviser, Andrei Illarionov, noted, Kyoto would "result in an economic holocaust for Russia."

It didn't have to be that way. Under Kyoto, all major industrial nations must cut their output of greenhouse gases below their 1990 levels by 2012. But the treaty would take effect only if it were OK'd by nations making up more than 55% of all greenhouse emissions.

The U.S. accounts for 24%, Russia 17%, giving those two nations veto power over the treaty.

Now Putin wants to go forward with Kyoto, despite strong misgivings from his own scientific and economic advisers. His move leaves the U.S. stranded as the only major industrial nation not to sign off on the deal.

And though the U.S. isn't part of this bad agreement, it will still suffer. This is something European nations -- especially Germany and France, with their lagging economic growth and slow productivity gains -- dearly want. It's a big reason for the Kyoto accord.