20 July 2001

U.S. Working on Solution to Problem of Climate Change

By Jim Fuller
Washington File Science Correspondent

Bonn -- A senior U.S. official says the United States is investing heavily in climate change research and is working on a science-based and economically sustainable approach to cutting greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

The official, speaking to reporters July 20 at the climate change talks in Bonn, said it is hoped that the U.S. proposal for combating global warming "will also be attractive to the global community when we finally finalize our own ideas."

Environment ministers and diplomats from over 180 countries are meeting in Bonn to reach agreement on a core package of measures that will set the stage for ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The treaty would require industrialized countries to cut their greenhouse gas emissions -- such as carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels -- an average of 5.2 percent from 1990 levels by 2012.

President Bush has rejected the protocol, arguing that the treaty is flawed and that its binding cuts in emissions of greenhouse gases would harm the U.S. economy.

The official said the role of the U.S. delegation attending the Bonn talks is meant to be constructive. "We do not want to block the efforts of parties that wish to proceed with the protocol," he said. "We hope the parties are able to come up with an agreement that satisfies their needs."

At the same time, he said, a cabinet-level group appointed by President Bush has been working on a U.S. proposal to deal with climate change. He said the U.S. approach will be environmentally sound and market-oriented; will be flexible, taking into account the changing science of climate change; will not harm the U.S. or global economy; and will be attractive to other countries, to ensure a global solution to climate change.

"We hope to have it done as soon as we can, but we are not to be rushed into getting something done," he said. "Obviously, we are aware of the interest of the global community -- we are trying to keep that in mind -- but we want to make sure we don't come up with just any proposal just for the sake of saying this is our proposal."

He said he could not say whether or not the U.S. proposal will be ready before the next scheduled United Nations meeting on climate change, due to start in the Moroccan city of Marrakech in late October.

When asked if the United States would contribute to a proposed United Nations-administered $1,000 million annual fund established under the Kyoto Protocol to help developing countries deal with the consequences of global warming, the official said that as a non-party to the protocol the United States would not be contributing.

"What we will not support, and will argue fervently against, is any effort to compel a non-party to the protocol -- be it the United States or another country -- to finance the activities under that protocol That's not reasonable." He added that Jan Pronk, the Dutch environment minister who is chairing the climate talks and had proposed the establishment of the annual fund, has also indicated that such an approach is not reasonable.

In terms of assistance, the official said the United States is fulfilling its obligations through contributions to the Global Environment Facility, or GEF, which serves as a financial mechanism for the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. The convention, which has been ratified by 186 countries including the United States, commits both developed and developing countries to adopt national programs for mitigating climate change and developing strategies for adapting to its effects.

"Our current contribution to the GEF is $108 million," the official said. "That makes us far and away the largest contributor to the GEF, which is the funding mechanism for the convention. In addition, since 1993 we've spent $1,400 million in USAID funds on environmental climate-related activities throughout the developing world. That's significant ... so in terms of our role in providing funding, we have a very good record."

As for the progress of negotiations on the Kyoto Protocol, one of the main disagreements to emerge in Bonn is how to credit countries for forests that soak up carbon emissions from the atmosphere, and how sternly to punish countries that fail to meet their greenhouse gas emissions targets under the protocol.

Canada, Japan, Australia and Russia have submitted a proposal that would give them greater credit for their forests in calculating emissions cuts achieved. Under the proposal, each country would negotiate its own limit on how much credit it could receive.

Olivier Deleuze, Belgian's secretary of state for the environment and head of the European Union (EU) delegation, said the EU had rejected the proposed system in favor of "a clear and tight cap system." He added that while the EU was prepared to negotiate, any agreement must be "environmentally sound. That is the whole purpose. Otherwise, it's nonsense."