Kyoto Magic

Reuters announces that the WWF (and I assume that's the environmentalists and no the wrestlers) announced Oct 24 that the Australians are among the biggest resource hogs on the planet. After us and the Canadians of course. Must be something about speaking English.
What's really interesting however in this article is that we learn Australians don't consume so much because it's their lifestyle or some other prosaic reason like that. No, it's all because they refused...

to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, which obliges about 40 nations to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12, saying it is unfair because developing nations are exempt.

But that refusal meant Australia used more energy, food, timber and land per person than any of its regional neighbors,

So apparently the mere act of ratifying the Kyoto accord causes all those little things like driving automobiles, heating homes and generally engaging in life in an industrialized society to *Poof*.

Unless you believe this.