Press Release
Latest Environmental News from all around the World (June 11, 2002)
- Date:
- 2002-06-11
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- 5,608
The report from U.S. EPA says "The (climate) changes observed over the last several decades are likely mostly due to human activities, but we cannot rule out that some significant part of these changes is also a reflection of natural variability". It is the first time the U.S. administration put on record as saying that burning fossil fuels is the main cause of global warming. Until now, Bush administration officials insisted there were too much uncertainty in climate change research to assess the blame. Some people paid attention to this report, because it might be a sign of the shift in U.S. government's standpoint on climate change.
However, the report suggested nothing more than voluntary reduction by industry for dealing with greenhouse gases. Regarding to this report, the U.S. president Bush replied dismissively and stated he still opposed the Kyoto Protocol.
<74 nations ratified Kyoto Protocol (June 7)>
Japan, 15 members of EU, and Norway ratified Kyoto Protocol on June 5, May 31 and 30 respectively; thus, the likelihood that the pact will become law is rasing before the end of the this year despite the U.S. opposition.
The protocol will go into force when it has been ratified by 55 countries responsible for producing more than 55 percent of the developed countries' greenhouse gas emissions. Ratification of Russia and Canada will be important variables to put the Protocol into force whose stands on the Protocol are not clear yet.
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