46 Nations Back Body to Protect Planet
Pastor Dale Morgan
Feb 3, 7:50 PM EST
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46 Nations Back Body to Protect Planet*
By ANGELA CHARLTON and SETH BORENSTEIN
Associated Press Writers
PARIS (AP) -- Forty-five nations answered France's call Saturday for a
new environmental body to slow inevitable global warming and protect the
planet, perhaps with policing powers to punish violators.
Absent were the world's heavyweight polluter, the United States, and
booming nations on the same path as the U.S. - China and India.
The charge led by French President Jacques Chirac came a day after the
release of an authoritative - and disturbingly grim - scientific report
in Paris that said global warming is "very likely" caused by mankind and
that climate change will continue for centuries even if heat-trapping
gases are reduced. It was the strongest language ever used by the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, whose last report was issued
in 2001.
The document, a collaboration of hundreds of scientists and government
officials, was approved by 113 nations, including the United States.
Despite the report's dire outlook, most scientists say the worst
disasters - huge sea level rises and the most catastrophic storms and
droughts - may be avoided if strong action is taken soon.
In his call to action at a French-sponsored environment conference on
Saturday, Chirac said, "It is our responsibility. The future of humanity
demands it."
Without naming the United States - producer of about one-quarter of the
world's greenhouse gases - Chirac expressed frustration that "some
large, rich countries still must be convinced." They are "refusing to
accept the consequences of their acts," he said.
So far, it is mostly European nations that agreed to pursue plans for
the new organization, and to hold their first meeting in Morocco this
spring.
Chirac, 74, is seeking to leave his mark on international affairs before
he leaves office, likely in May, though his own environmental record
over 12 years as France's president is spotty.
Former Vice President Al Gore, whose Oscar-nominated documentary on the
perils of global warming has garnered worldwide attention, cheered
Chirac's efforts.
"We are at a tipping point," Gore told the conference by videophone. "We
must act, and act swiftly ... Such action requires international
cooperation."
The world's scientists and other international leaders also said now
that the science is so well-documented, action is clearly the next step.
"It is time now to hear from the world's policymakers," Tim Wirth,
president of the United Nations Foundation, said Friday. "The so-called
and long-overstated 'debate' about global warming is now over."
Granger Morgan, an energy expert at Carnegie Mellon University in the
United States predicted the new climate report "will kick a few more
folks to get on board."
And Jason Grumet, head of U.S. bipartisan advocacy group, the National
Commission on Energy Policy, said: "The debate has clearly shifted from
a battle over the science to fighting over the scope and design of the
solution."
However, many questions remain about Chirac's proposed new environmental
body, including whether it would have the power to enforce global
climate accords.
Chirac's appeal says only that the group should "evaluate ecological
damage" and "support the implementation of environmental decisions."
Many countries have failed to meet targets for cutting greenhouse gas
emissions laid out in the 1997 Kyoto Protocol. The United States has
never ratified the pact. And on Friday, the Bush administration
reiterated its rejection of imposed cuts on greenhouse gases.
Earlier this week, Chirac warned in a published interview that the
United States could face a carbon tax on its exports if it does not sign
global climate accords.
The European Union, which agreed to the Kyoto Protocol curbing
emissions, has committed to a 20 percent reduction in carbon pollution
by 2020, said Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the U.N. Framework
Convention on Climate Change. And if others join them, they could even
try for 60 percent cuts by 2050, he said.
The United Nations also is considering a summit of world leaders to
tackle global warming, and de Boer said he would expect the United
States to send high-ranking officials to it.
Despite White House resistance to carbon-cutting measures with teeth, de
Boer and Carnegie Mellon professor Morgan said they see movement in the
United States anyway.
"We are certainly building critical mass among opinion leaders and
nontechnical folks," Morgan said from Pittsburgh, citing recent calls to
action by corporate CEOs, even in the energy industry. "We are at the
point over the next three to five years where the U.S. is going to get
quite serious about it."
And in May, the same international panel that wrote Friday's report will
wrap up a new document spelling out the benefits and costs of slowing
global warming, setting up a buffet of choices for policymakers.
For now, scientists are energized that the world is finally listening to
them.
Kevin Trenberth, an American co-author of the new climate report,
marveled at the overflow crowd of more than 400 reporters on hand for
the document's release on Friday. It was more reporters than he'd seen
in decades of climate conferences. He took out a small camera, smiled
and took a picture of the media.
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Seth Borenstein is an AP Science Writer.
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On the Net:
IPCC Report:
http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu/wg1/docs/WG1AR4-SPM-PlenaryApproved.pdf