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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: steve harris who wrote (219352)	2/16/2005 2:54:14 PM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1575047

Historic Kyoto Treaty Inked Without the World's Biggest Polluter the US KYOTO, Japan - The Kyoto Protocol, the landmark treaty requiring cuts in gas emissions which cause global warming, is now in effect with the support of 141 nations but not of the world's biggest polluter the United States. The 34 industrialized countries which have ratified the treaty are legally bound to slash output of greenhouse gases by 5.2 percent before 2012, with targets set for each nation based on their 1990 levels. The treaty was reached in this ancient Japanese capital in 1997 amid fear that the rise in global temperatures could eventually lead to droughts and the extinction of some species. "We sincerely welcome that the framework in which the world will cooperate to stop global warming has finally come into effect," Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said. The United States pulled out of Kyoto in 2001 in one of President George W. Bush's first acts in office, saying it would hurt the US economy. The United States and Australia, the only other major industrial country to reject the treaty, account together for 30 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. The Bush administration points out that developing countries such as China and India have no obligations under Kyoto, meaning that their growing economies would not face the same economic burden as the United States. China, with growth close to double digits, is by some forecasts expected to exceed the United States as the world's top polluter by 2020. Developing countries will be asked to make commitments in the next phase of Kyoto negotiations to begin later this year. More than 300 environmental activists marched through Kyoto under persistent rain to celebrate the start of the pact despite years of doubt, with some dressed as monkeys or penguins or wearing mock tiger ears to highlight global warming's impact on animals. "Skiing and snowboarding in danger!" read one banner held up by demonstrators who marched to the sound of African drums. "Bush should listen to Earth, not to his businesspeople," said Deborah Mantle, a 36-year-old Briton who teaches English in Kyoto. The United States and Australia were on the defensive before Kyoto took effect, insisting that they rejected the treaty for legitimate reasons and were committed to reducing pollution. "Until such times as the major polluters of the world, including the United States and China, are made part of the Kyoto regime it is next to useless and indeed harmful for a country such as Australia to sign up for the Kyoto Protocol," Prime Minister John Howard told parliament. White House press secretary Scott McClellan said the Bush administration has "made an unprecedented commitment to reduce the growth of greenhouse gas emissions in a way that continues to grow our economy. "There's a lot that we are still learning about the science of climate change, but this administration is working to advance that science and to learn more about climate change itself and its effect on the world," he said. But the Bush administration's view on global warming is disputed by most of the scientific community which believes pollution can in time shrink polar ice gaps and melt alpine glaciers. The world's average temperature rose by 0.6 C (1.08 F) from 1900-1990 alone, and could increase by another 5.8 C (10.4 F) by 2100, depending on how much carbon dioxide is in the air, according to the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The golden toad (bufo periglenes), a colorful amphibian which made its home in Costa Rica, is believed to be the first species to have gone extinct because of greenhouse gases. The World Wildlife Fund says polar bears could be wiped out in just over 20 years due to global warming. To highlight the point, five Japanese activists dressed as the bears held a rally Wednesday in central Tokyo. But even for countries that have signed on to Kyoto, meeting the goals could be difficult. Failure would mean a country would have even tougher pollution cut requirements at a later date. Koizumi said "it is not easy" to meet the Kyoto guidelines in Japan, where a trade ministry survey has found that 11 out of 30 industry sectors could fail to meet self-imposed targets. "The government will support actions of individual citizens aimed at stopping global warming," Koizumi said.