61
30
35
40
45
50
representatives from over 150
nations adopted a treaty to
limit emissions of CO
2
, CH
4
, N
2
O, HFCs, and SF
6
.
The so-called Kyoto Protocol called for reducing emissions
to at least 5 percent below 1990
levels of these gases by
2012. The Protocol was signed by 38 industrialized countries
attending the summit. Developing nations attending the
summit were not required to
adhere to the guidelines of
the Protocol. The 15 EU nations at the summit agreed
to further reduce emissions
to 8 percent, the US to 7 percent, and Japan to 6 percent below the 1990 levels.
The US officially signed the Protocol on November 12, 1998, but the US
president then did not send it to the Senate to officially approve the treaty
because he knew there was little hope for its approval at that time. When the
next president took office in 2000, the new administration openly
opposed the
Protocol. The Bush administration claimed the standards
set in the Protocol
were unfair to developed countries. Australia also rejected the Kyoto Protocol on
the basis that the UN
predictions of industrial growth (and thus future
greenhouse emissions) were improbable.
Even with the predictions of the Protocol called into question, many
countries continued to push for its approval. In July 2001,
delegates met again
in Bonn, Germany, to discuss the Protocol. At the Bonn meeting, the delegates
agreed, despite opposition from US representatives, on setting guidelines and
timetables for achieving the reductions set in the Kyoto Protocol. The following
year, at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg, South
Africa, Russia
indicated it would soon officially approve the Kyoto Protocol.
However, in late 2003, Russia said it needed to further study the Protocol’s
requirements and predictions before signing. Without Russia’s approval, there
seems little chance the Kyoto Protocol will ever be completely
ratified.
Reading Time
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583 words
27
adopt --- to take as one’s own;
to follow
33
adhere to --- to follow; to obey
39
oppose --- to speak against; to take action against
42
prediction --- a
statement about the future
50
indicate --- to show
53
ratify --- to formally accept
