wallyj, I don't think you understand the Kyoto Protocol.
Let's say two people have equal-sized yards.
Person A: Yard is packed with 50 % garbage.
Person B: Yard is packed with 50 % garbage.
Person A does a good job, and reduces his garbage amount.
Person B does too, but not enough to meet his target (let's say 25 %).
Person A: Yard is packed with 10 % garbage.
Person B: Yard is packed with 40 % garbage.
Person B needs to "meet" his target of 25%, so he purchases fifteen percent of his garbage in "garbage credits" from Person A, since Person A exceeded his garbage targets by that fifteen percent. So, with this "transfer" in "garbage credits":
Person A: Yard is packed with 10 % garbage (-15 credits, to 25 %)
Person B: Yard is packed with 40 % garbage (+15 credits, to 25 %)
So, altogether, these two neighbours now have 50 % garbage between them, whereas there would have been 100 % of a yard's worth before the Protocol had started. The total amount of garbage for the neighbourhood has decreased, just as the Kyoto Protocol endeavours to make the global amount of greenhouse gas emissions decrease.
