Global lawmakers seek new climate accord
Pastor Dale Morgan
Global lawmakers seek new climate accord*
Posted 2/18/2007 8:44 AM ET
By Desmond Butler, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — A group of global lawmakers signed a resolution Thursday
urging a new agreement limiting greenhouse gas emissions by 2009 to
succeed the Kyoto protocol, which is set to expire in 2012.
The resolution reached after a two-day forum on global warming attended
by lawmakers from about 20 countries, including members of Congress,
urged the Group of Eight industrialized countries to commit to the 2009
deadline when they next meet in June.
On Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whose country holds the
rotating presidencies of the G-8 and the European Union, outlined her
priorities on global warming in a video address to the forum. Merkel has
agreed to convene an international meeting on climate change in May to
prepare for the G-8 summit in the German resort of Heiligendamm June 6-8.
Lawmakers attending the forum held on Capitol Hill said that after
hearing from U.S. lawmakers who attended that they sensed a political
shift in Washington toward greater cooperation with other countries on
combatting global warming.
"I've detected a really quite remarkable change here on climate change,"
said Elliot Morley, a British member of Parliament who chaired the forum.
A senior State Department official told the attendees Thursday that the
U.S. is committed to working with other countries on the issue.
"We share with other countries the goals of reducing greenhouse gas
emissions and introducing new, cleaner technologies," said State
Department Undersecretary Paula J. Dobriansky.
Dobriansky outlined steps taken by the U.S. in reducing emissions but
made no mention of the Kyoto treaty, which the U.S. has refused to
endorse since it was negotiated in 1997.
President Bush has made clear that his administration will not agree to
the kind of mandatory emission caps required under Kyoto because the
administration believes the restrictions will harm U.S. businesses.
Thirty-five other industrial nations, who have endorsed the pact, agreed
to cut their global-warming gases by 5% on average below 1990 levels by
2012.