Over this weekend, committal issues arose at the Bali climate change meeting in Indonesia.
The United States will come up with its own plan to cut global-warming gases by mid-2008, and won't commit to mandatory caps at the U.N. climate conference here, the chief U.S. negotiator said Saturday.
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Watson's comments reaffirmed that the Bush administration views its own talks as the main event in discussions over climate change.
This is not only unfortunate for the UN's emissions cap plan, but shows how the Bush administration thinks: 'our talks are more important than the international ones'. Environmental groups say that Washington hopes to sideline and subvert international summits just as it stood alone as the only developed nation not agreeing to Kyoto.
Meanwhile the EU agreed to reduce emissions 20% by 2020...
Midway through the two-week Bali conference, many of the more than 180 assembled nations were demanding such firm commitments from Washington as well, as the world talks about a framework to follow Kyoto when it expires in 2012.
3 comments:
As long as the Repugs are able to thwart anything meaningful this Congress might attempt to pass we will never see meaningful legislation with regards to greenhouse gasses. Witness last weeks energy bill which couldn't even make it out of fillibuster.
It is frustrating when what currently stands the greatest chance of being the most rational branch of government seems to not prove its worth — i.e. Congress.
Hopefully some emissions cap laws can be passed over the president's veto.
Great blog you havee
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