US urged to ratify the Kyoto Protocol by WallstromSuccess in reducing global warming relies on the United States – the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases – ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, the EU’s Environment Commissioner said today.Commissioner Margot Wallstrom told the BBC that failure by the US to ratify the protocol to cut greenhouse gases would undermine the current global warming summit at The Hague. ‘It would be absurd if the biggest emitter of greenhouse gases would not sign the Kyoto Protocol, or ratify it,’ she said. She added: ‘I think they (the US) play a very important role to make this whole process credible.’ So far only 29 countries have ratified the Kyoto Protocol on Climate Change, which was adopted in 1997 and calls on governments to reduce greenhouse gas emission by 5.2% by 2012. The protocol needs 55 countries to ratify it before it can enter into force. The summit at The Hague today (20 November) entered its second week but some commentators thing the chances of achieving a workable solution to tackling the environmental crisis seemed slim. Last week's talks were beset by major differences between the EU and
the US concerning the use of the ‘flexible mechanisms’ such as forests
as carbon sinks and emissions trading.
EUbusiness, 20th November 2000
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