EU says US global warming plan falls short
Date: 22-Feb-02
Country: SPAIN
U.S. President George W. Bush last week outlined a voluntary plan on "greenhouse gases" in place of the mandatory cuts demanded in the Kyoto treaty which he rejected last year as harmful to the U.S. economy.
The 15-nation EU emerged as a defender of the Kyoto treaty after Washington pulled out.
In its most detailed critique so far of the Bush proposals, the EU said it was concerned about their purely voluntary nature and that they would not be sufficient to reduce U.S. emissions.
"Over the past years, greenhouse gas emissions intensity in relation to GDP (gross domestic product) has been falling in the U.S.," EU Environment Commissioner Margot Wallstrom said in a joint statement with Environment Minister Jaume Matas of Spain, which currently holds the EU presidency.
"The Bush plan is based on a prolongation of this trend, thereby in effect foreseeing little more than continuation on a 'business-as-usual' path," they said.
The Bush plan would cut emissions of three of the worst air pollutants - but not carbon dioxide - by setting limits, assigning permits for each tonne of pollution, and allowing firms to trade them.
The goal of Bush's overall plan is to lower the U.S. rate of greenhouse gas emissions from an estimated 183 metric tonnes per million dollars of gross domestic product in 2002 to 151 metric tonnes per million dollars of GDP in 2012.
The EU officials said current emission projections for the United States pointed to an increase of 39 percent above 1990 levels in 2012.
While the Bush proposals may reduce this to around 33 percent, this was still a very substantial increase in absolute emissions, they said.
However, the EU welcomed that the Bush administration had put forward proposals on domestic climate change policy.
It said the proposals may represent a first step in the right direction by asking U.S. businesses to contribute to emission control.
The EU said it was determined to proceed with ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by June 2002.
"The EU will continue on its current path of emission reduction and is optimistic that other major players, notably Japan and Russia, will join us in these efforts," the EU said.
It said it was willing to continue dialogue with the United States on the issue.
