19 July 2001

U.S. Pledges Continued Support for Climate Change Convention

By Jim Fuller
Washington File Science Correspondent

FEATURE

Conference of the Parties Sixth Session Part 2 Bonn, 16 - 27 July U.S. Delegation head Paula Dobriansky makes a statement July 19. Photo courtesy IISD/ENB-Leila Mead. Enlargement See also: U.S. Embassy Berlin UNFCCC

Bonn -- U.S. Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula Dobriansky told ministers and diplomats attending climate change talks in Bonn that the United States will continue to be a constructive and active party to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Speaking at the plenary session for the ministerial-level talks that began July 19, Dobriansky, who heads the U.S. delegation at the talks, said the United States understands the international community's desire to see appropriate and timely action on climate change. She said that President Bush has already announced a number of science and technology initiatives to address climate change, as called for under the framework convention.

At the same time, Dobriansky reemphasized the Bush administration's opposition to the Kyoto Protocol.

"While we do not believe the Kyoto Protocol is sound public policy for the United States, we do not intend to prevent others from going ahead with the treaty, so long as they do not harm legitimate U.S. interests," she said.

"Though the United States will not ratify the Kyoto Protocol, we will not abdicate our responsibilities .... And we will welcome international views as we develop a science-based, technology-oriented, market-friendly basis to deal with climate change," she added. "Our objective is to ensure that our new approach provides a long-term solution that is environmentally effective, economically sustainable and fair."

The U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change entered into force in March 1994 after being ratified by 186 countries, including the United States. Under the convention, industrialized countries agreed to "aim" to return their heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions back to 1990 levels by the year 2000. Neither the target nor the timetable was legally binding. Carbon dioxide, from the burning of fossil fuels, is one of the main greenhouse gases believed to cause global warming.

The Kyoto Protocol, which would require industrialized countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions an average of 5.2 percent from 1990 levels by 2012, was adopted by negotiators in 1997 as an addition to the framework convention. While many countries have signed the protocol, the majority is waiting until its operational details are negotiated before deciding whether to ratify. No developed country has yet ratified the protocol.

President Bush has rejected the Kyoto Protocol because it excludes fast-growing developing countries such as China and India from the burden of targeted emissions reductions. Further, the protocol's binding cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases "would cause serious harm to the U.S. economy," according to a Bush statement.

Dobriansky told international negotiators in Bonn that while the global community shares a commitment to addressing climate change, it has not yet crafted a new multilateral approach that all countries can support.

"Climate change is a problem that requires 100 percent effort - ours and the rest of the world," she said. "The problem, decades in the making, cannot be solved overnight."

Dobriansky said the recently announced U.S. climate change initiatives include a $125 million program to study global carbon and energy cycles. She said the United States has already spent $18,000 million for scientific research on climate change since 1990 - more than any other country.

She said the United States also intends to provide bilateral resources for climate observation systems and help finance demonstration projects of advanced clean energy technologies in developing countries.

"We recognize that the international community is keen to learn more about our approach to climate change," Dobriansky said. "When we develop further initiatives, we will consult actively with our friends and allies."

The talks in Bonn are a resumption of the sixth session of the Conference of Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. The negotiations were suspended last November in The Hague after delegates were unable to reach agreement on terms and conditions of the Kyoto Protocol.

Key issues that must still be resolved include a package of financial support to help developing countries contribute to global action on climate change; rules for establishing an international emissions trading system; rules for counting emissions reductions from so-called carbon "sinks" such as forests; and a set of penalties for non-compliance to the protocol's emissions targets.

Dutch Environment Minister Jan Pronk, president of the talks, told reporters on July 18 that he believed negotiators could reach agreement on most of the outstanding issues before the talks end on July 27.

"When I came to Bonn, I was a bit pessimistic," he said. "However, on the basis of the atmosphere during these three days, and of my talks with individual delegates, I have the impression that it is possible to reach a result. We are talking about agreement on a core package."