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Dutch CO2 output rises in 2000, more increases seen |
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| NETHERLANDS: September 14, 2001 | ||
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AMSTERDAM - The Netherlands' carbon dioxide emissions rose by one percent in 2000, driven by higher energy use, and are likely to continue increasing, a Dutch government research body said.
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Since 1990, carbon dioxide output has risen by eight percent, while overall greenhouse gas emissions have climbed three percent, according to the State Institute for Health and Environment. Under the Kyoto Protocol, the Netherlands would have to cut its carbon dioxide output by six percent from 1990 levels by the 2008-2012 period. Kyoto calls for industrialised states to cut carbon dioxide by an average of 5.2 percent in the same period. Heat-trapping greenhouse gases produced by the burning of fossil fuels are blamed by most scientists for contributing to global warming. A UN scientific body has predicted warmer temperatures in the coming decades will sharply alter weather patterns and boost sea levels, threatening millions of people in low-lying and coastal lands. Broad strokes of the Kyoto pact were agreed in July in Bonn, and states are scheduled to begin a new round of talks in Morrocco at the end of October to hammer out final details. In order for the Kyoto pact to take legal effect, 55 countries representing at least 55 percent of the emissions from industrialised states must ratify the pact. None have so far done so. Passage of the treaty was dealt a blow when the U.S., the world's largest emitter, rejected it earlier this year.
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REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
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