Environmental Defense Praises Climate Protection Agreement

Environmental Defense today praised the leadership shown by Japan, Russia, and the European Union (EU) in finalizing rules at negotiations in Morocco to implement the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change. Today’s action by more than 170 countries paves the way for ratification by individual nations, which could put the Protocol into effect as early as next year.

“Earth is already beginning to show the effects of global climate change, and responsible nations are taking action,” said Environmental Defense chief scientist Michael Oppenheimer. “As the world’s largest producer of greenhouse gas pollution, it’s well past time for the United States to join the broad-based international coalition against global warming. Because the science on this issue is clear, the administration should immediately reconsider its position”

Despite international scientific assessments that show global warming gases have reached their highest level in more than 400,000 years, the Bush administration withdrew the U.S. from the Kyoto Protocol earlier this year. Other political leaders have taken steps to address global climate challenge. In August Senators Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ) pledged to develop legislation to cap U.S. greenhouse gas pollution. But without a limit on carbon dioxide emissions, U.S. industries are not likely to respond to business opportunities in the emissions market.

“While the climate negotiators deserve praise for preserving the fundamental strengths of the Kyoto Protocol — binding limits on greenhouse gas emissions from industrialized nations and creation of an international emissions trading market — some of their decisions may reduce the market’s ability to deliver the full range of environmental and economic benefits that might otherwise have been achieved,” said Joseph Goffman, Environmental Defense senior attorney. “By significantly reducing the role of forest carbon sinks in meeting countries’ emissions limitation obligations, the negotiators lost a critical opportunity to integrate climate protection and biodiversity enhancement into the protocol. These issues will have to be re-visited should the U.S. move to re-engage the Kyoto process in the future.”

Along with Congress, some states have also expressed interest in legislation that would require reductions in emissions that contribute to global warming. This week, with gubernatorial, industry and environmental support, legislation to cap greenhouse gas pollution from power plants was introduced in the New Hampshire legislature. Some 20 other states have legislative proposals under consideration.