EU gives surprise welcome to U.S. proposal on climate
November 15, 2000
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (Reuters) -- The European Union gave a
surprise welcome Wednesday to a controversial U.S. proposal to
count new forests as "sinks" that soak up greenhouse gases,
raising the chances of a deal on global climate change.
The 15-member EU had been expected to oppose the U.S. plan as an
easy get-out that would undermine a 1997 United Nations agreement
to cut pollution from industry and transport by specified
amounts, country by country.
Instead the chief negotiator for the EU's executive Commission,
Jos Delbeke, welcomed it as a positive first step in a conference
at The Hague, where 180 countries are meeting to thrash out rules
on a global bid to reduce greenhouse gases.
"The proposal by the United States is definitely going in the
right direction," he said. "It's about additional efforts that we
are going to make to stimulate carbon uptake from the
atmosphere."
The EU's readiness to meet Washington half way may be inspired by
political pragmatism in support of a climate-rescue deal that
would be meaningless without the United States.
Both are increasingly experiencing wild and destructive weather
swings which have moved climate change from the agenda of
peripheral ecology parties to the political center.
Washington says allowing its forest sinks to count as part of its
future carbon-reducing effort is crucial to getting the U.S.
Congress to ratify an agreement.
"This proposal will help us become a party to the Kyoto
Protocol," said U.S. chief delegate David Sandalow, referring to
the 1997 accord yet to be ratified by most signatory states.
Paying others not to pollute
The key EU demand in the negotiations is that rich countries
reach at least half of their Kyoto gas reduction targets by
domestic action.
This is resisted by the United States, which wants freedom to use
"flexible mechanisms" such as buying emissions credits from other
countries -- effectively paying them for not polluting the global
atmosphere so restrictions at home can stay less tight.
But the U.S. proposal enrages environmental groups who see it as
just another bid to get America's polluting industries and rivers
of fuel-guzzling cars off the global hook.
The plan would allow the United States to count the carbon
dioxide (CO2) absorbed by vegetation to offset part of its
commitment to reduce emissions of the gas, blamed for
contributing to global warming.
Environmental groups say the designation of forests as "carbon
sinks" would destroy the Kyoto Protocol by letting richer
countries off, and might not work in reducing carbon levels in
any case.
Delbeke cautioned that the EU was still unconvinced about many
elements of the idea, including the scientific uncertainties on
how much carbon is soaked up by trees.
The EU would only accept the sinks proposal if forest or farm
activities were reckoned to be taking up more carbon than would
otherwise have been absorbed without them, Delbeke said.
He said he believed that the U.S. plan stated clearly that only
new forests, planted since 1990, would qualify for emissions
reduction credits, which could mean a genuine reduction in
greenhouse gas levels in the world's atmosphere.
Negotiators from national governments were still discussing the
technical details of the proposal ahead of high level political
talks set to start next week.
Delbeke said if the two sides could find a compromise on sinks --
which would be rated a domestic measure -- it might lead the U.S.
to accept a limit on its use of the "flex mex," the flexible
mechanisms on trading in the right to pollute.
"I hope that it's helping them," he said.
Article by Reuters
SOURCE: CNN
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