Kyoto Protocol
© Tory AardvarkAfghanistan now it has joined the Kyoto Protocol is an ideal environment for rich countries to invest in solar and wind farms, as this quiet pastoral scene shows.
When this story first surfaced, the initial reaction was, April Fools day joke, how could a country with one of the lowest per capita emissions signing up to a treaty that expired on December 31st 2012 be hailed as a Green success story.

The world's only treaty for fear of CO2, the Kyoto Protocol ended along with 2012 on December 31st, attempts to keep it alive at COP18 failed, an attempt at a new Kyoto 2 was ignored by most of the world, except the EU and grasping hands of the small islands states demanding their climate justice money.

All search engines confirm this story to be true, such is the state of decline of Big Green these days that a negligible emitter joining a now defunct treaty is a cause for celebration:
Afghanistan has taken another step towards implementing its national climate strategy by ratifying the Kyoto Protocol.

The move makes it the 192nd country or regional economic integration organization to sign up to the treaty, which will come into force for Afghanistan on June 23 this year.

Classed as a developing or Non-Annex I country, it will not have to adopt any binding emission targets, but will be required to draw-up plans to develop a low carbon energy and transport system.

Joining Kyoto also allows the country to take part in the UN's international emissions trading programmes; raising the prospect of richer nations investing in renewable energy and similar low carbon schemes in Afghanistan.
According to the World Bank Afghanistan's per capita emissions at 0.2 tonnes per person are one of the world's lowest, they barely register, from watching the news videos of the country they have already developed a low carbon transport system, 4 people on a small Honda motorcycle is about as low carbon as it gets.

The Taliban would doubtless love to have Afghanistan covered in those symbols of decadent Infidel civilization, solar and wind farms, a couple of well placed RPGs and another un-insureable solar farm is destroyed, no doubt about it companies will be queuing up to invest in Afghanistan.
Ian Macgregor, who acts as an advisor to Afghan negotiators at UN talks, told RTCC the news should act as an inspiration to other nations.

"Given all the problems that Afghanistan faces, it is making the effort to join with the international community to address climate change," he said.

"Other countries, which are not facing such severe problems, should be doing much more to address climate change."
The real reason that Afghanistan has signed up is money, one day all that lovely ISAF money will be gone and the Afghans are looking around for a new source of free western money, and by taking part in UN emissions trading schemes they will be eligible for loads of free money from some UN climate justice or climate mitigation scam fund.