A United Nations treaty negotiated in Japan is intended to fight a global warming problem that may not even exist. The treaty’s extreme measures would hurt consumers and eliminate thousands of Michigan jobs.
The treaty would put the United States on a strict energy diet. Ninety percent of our energy comes from burning fuels such as gasoline, coal, and natural gas, which are blamed for global warming. The government would control and ration these fuels.
This would force down our usage of these fuels, but our energy costs would go up. Gasoline would cost drivers 300 more dollars annually per car, and annual utility costs would go up $500 per household.
The treaty is estimated to cost Michigan 94,000 jobs over 12 years, and wages would decline for the jobs that were left.
The cost of the treaty is more certain than the existence of global warming. Satellite and weather balloon measurements actually show a 20-year cooling trend.
The United Auto Workers and Michigan Teamsters, along with job providers, oppose the treaty. They realize consumers and workers have more to fear from the treaty than from global warming itself.
For the Mackinac Center, this is Catherine Martin.
The Mackinac Center for Public Policy is a nonprofit research and educational institute that advances the principles of free markets and limited government. Through our research and education programs, we challenge government overreach and advocate for a free-market approach to public policy that frees people to realize their potential and dreams.
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