Guest guest Posted April 3, 2001 Report Share Posted April 3, 2001 kim [kkaos] Monday, 2 October 2000 17:39 alqld; gu-enviro-collective [alqld] CHOKE ON THIS!! when is that next election again?... Australia says US not wrong on Kyoto concerns ---------- ---- AUSTRALIA: April 2, 2001 CANBERRA - Australian Prime Minister John Howard said on Friday he understood U.S. concern about the Kyoto treaty on global warming, saying President George W. Bush was not wrong to want developing countries included in the pact. " What President Bush is concerned about, and it is an understandable concern, is you can't really have a comprehensive agreement unless you get the developing countries inside the tent, " Howard said in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corp radio. " I don't think he is wrong in relation to wanting the developing countries involved. He's not wrong about that. But Australia is right in continuing to work to get an agreement which includes developing countries. " The United States on Wednesday said it had effectively abandoned the pact on greenhouse gas reductions agreed in the Japanese city of Kyoto in 1997 because it does not bind developing countries to curb emissions and it was not in the economic interests of the United States. The U.S. move has sparked harsh international criticism, with the European Union pledging to send a high-level delegation to Washington next week to urge Bush to reverse the decision. But Howard said such efforts would be wasted. " They won't change their mind in relation to the involvement of developing countries, " he said, adding he had had no contact with the U.S. administration on the issue. Howard said his conservative coalition government would continue its commitment to the Kyoto deal regardless of the U.S. stance, but would also push for the inclusion of developing countries in a more comprehensive pact. " We certainly recognise the desirability of including the developing countries, which is the point that President Bush made, " Howard said. " I don't think you should see what the Americans have said...as them turning their backs completely on trying to reach a worldwide agreement. What they're saying is that unless you get the developing countries involved then it is very difficult to have a comprehensive agreement. " The Kyoto protocol is a United Nations climate pact accord to reduce major industrialised nations' emissions by an average of 5.2 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Scientists widely believe greenhouse gas emissions - which result mostly from burning coal and oil - trap heat in the earth's atmosphere and contribute to global warming which can cause disastrous weather changes. The protocol was signed by the United States, but it has not been ratified by the U.S. Senate. REUTERS NEWS SERVICE -------------------------------- animal liberation queensland * http://www.powerup.com.au/~alibqld ethical consumption * http://www.powerup.com.au/~kkaos ecovegan * http://www.powerup.com.au/~kkaos/main.html -------------------------------- " If one does not hope, one will not find the unhoped-for, since there is no trail leading to it and no path " - Heraclitus If you want to share pictures, use the calendar, or start a questionnaire visit http://www.smartgroups.com/groups/alqld To leave the group, email: alqld- _______ Get your free @ address at Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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