As the issue of global climate change comes to the fore in international discussions, and as countries attempt to find solutions for climate change, attention frequently turns to the Kyoto Protocols. By June of 2007, 172 countries had signed and ratified the Kyoto Protocols. Notably absent from the list of countries ratifying the Protocols are the United States and Australia, both of which have explicitly stated that they will not ratify the Protocols. Although some environmentalists argue that the United States should ratify, the United States is correct to refuse to ratify the Protocols. The United States' current efforts are more than enough to try to address the problem of global climate change, thus making ratifying the Kyoto Protocols wholly unnecessary.
1. What are the issue and conclusion in this essay?
2. Does the argument contain significant ambiguity in the reasoning?
Clue: What word or phrases could have multiple meanings?
3. Ask and answer the critical thinking question that you believe reveals the main problem with the author's reasoning in this essay. Explain why the question you asked is particularly harmful to the author's argument.
4. Write an essay from the viewpoint of someone who holds a different opinion from that of the essay author.
Clue: What other ethical norms could influence an opinion about this issue?