The rest of the world is trying mightily to do the same thing western governments have done, including raising the standard of living. You could say with some justification that the GW issue is just a way to keep them in poverty by denying them the ability or right to expand their economies. Do you think China is going to put up with this cap & trade nonsense? Not a chance, which is one reason why this is not going to work. See, for example: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0829_020829_summit5.html and http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PEK66835.htm
My conspiracy suspicion is with what we are told about oil supplies. All the while we're told we will run out, yet every year proven reserves go up. See: http://www.runet.edu/~wkovarik/oil/ Do you think all that is about improved technology? Or, just perhaps, could it be because oil is not made from dead dinosaurs after all: http://www.livescience.com/environment/051011_oil_origins.html
From the runet.edu link above:
* 1932 -- Federal Oil Conservation Board estimates 10 billion barrels of oil remain.
• 1944 -- Petroleum Administrator for War estimates 20 billion barrelsof oil remain.
• 1950 -- American Petroleum Institute says world oil reserves are at 100 billion barrels.
• 1956 -- M. King Hubbardpredicts peak in US oil production by 1970.
• 1966 - 1977 -- 19 billion barrels added to US reserves, most of which was from fields discovered before 1966. (As M.A. Adelman notes: "These fields were no gift of nature. They were a growth of knowledge, paid for by heavy investment.")
• 1973 -- Oil price spike; supply restrictions due to Midde Eastern politics.
• 1978 -- Petroleos de Venezuela announces estimated unconventional oil reserve figure for Orinoco heavy oil belt at between three and four trillion barrels. (More recent public estimates are in the one trillion range).
• 1979 -- Oil price spike; supply restrictions due to Midde Eastern politics.
• 1980 -- Remaining proven oil reserves put at 648 billion barrels
• 1993 -- Remaining proven oil reserves put at 999 billion barrels
• 2000 -- Remaining proven oil reserves put at 1016 billion barrels.
* 2009 -- 1243 billion barrels, or maybe its 1342: http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/reserves.html
