25 November 2000

National Environmental Trust
on Climate Change Talks

U.S. group says failure to approve treaty
was missed opportunity

The president of the National Environmental Trust says the European Union made a "monumental miscalculation" in its rejection of compromises offered by the United States on a treaty to reduce carbon emissions to control global warming.

Negotiators from more than 180 nations suspended a two-week round of talks in The Hague November 25 after failing to reach agreement on controlling greenhouse gas emissions.

The National Environmental Trust is a non-profit, non-partisan membership group working to educate and inform people about environmental issues. Following is the text of the statement by its president:

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NET NEWSROOM

www.environet.org/press

European Governments May Have Missed Their Best Opportunity for a Strong Climate Treaty

Statement of Philip E. Clapp, President, National Environmental Trust

November 25, 2000

This is likely to have been Europe's best opportunity to achieve a strong climate treaty, and the E.U. (European Union) decided to pass it up. After January, they could face a Bush administration almost certain to push for bigger loopholes.

The final proposals put forward by the US delegation represented major progress toward reducing global warming pollution. It also balanced the interests of US businesses and US farmers with strong pollution reduction provisions, which would have greatly improved the outlook for ratification by the Senate. The US delegation gave up some of the biggest loopholes it had been seeking, but insisted on measures important to build domestic support for the treaty.

This was a critical window of opportunity. To let it close was a monumental miscalculation.

Both sides have acknowledged that they had significantly narrowed their differences. We all hope that the ministers will reconvene, at least informally, as quickly as possible to build on what progress was made in The Hague.

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