Originally issued as a CGS press release on February 15, 2005.
United States Remains Absent from the Treaty
Washington, DC – Citizens for Global Solutions welcomes the Kyoto Protocol, which comes into effect today, and calls on the United States government to re-engage with the international community on the important issue of climate change. “The Bush Administration’s unhappiness with the specifics of the Kyoto Protocol is not sufficient justification for its decision to walk away from any discussion on climate change,” notes Charles J. Brown, President and CEO of Citizens for Global Solutions. “By refusing to address this fundamental challenge, America risks abandoning its historic role as a leader and advocate for international cooperation.”
Scientific consensus on the risks posed by climate change has emerged, which adds additional urgency to this issue. Carbon dioxide emissions from industrialized nations are altering climate and weather patterns in ways that may dramatically change and perhaps threaten our lifestyle, livelihood, and even our lives. A recent gathering of environmental experts in the United Kingdom, confirmed that climate change is contributing to massive displacement and migration from coastal areas around the world, extreme weather, and the eventual diminishment of agricultural productivity in inland areas like the Midwestern United States.
The Kyoto Protocol, which brought 135 nations together around the consensus of limiting carbon dioxide emissions, was the initial, international response to this global threat. Yet nearly a decade after U.S. negotiators and President Clinton helped craft the Protocol – and the U.S. Senate subsequently opposed its ratification – the United States remains opposed to caps on carbon dioxide emissions. With the Protocol set to take effect today, and in light of recent scientific studies and upcoming G8 environmental minister meetings, it is time for the Bush Administration to reengage with the world on climate change.
The U.S. is currently the single greatest source of carbon dioxide pollution, accounting for approximately 24 percent of the global total. Key U.S. allies have strongly urged President Bush to support international efforts to curb this environmental hazard. The President should take a cue from British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has made addressing climate change a major objective of Britain’s foreign policy. In addition, Congress should enact national legislation, such as last session’s McCain-Lieberman Climate Stewardship Act, which will allow the U.S. to join global efforts to reduce carbon emissions through a market-driven approach.
“The President should support a coordinated, comprehensive, and long-range national policy to advance U.S. leadership in protecting the global environment,” summarized Brown. “Climate change is a global problem and no amount of wishful thinking will keep it outside from affecting us. We should be leading, not fighting the international effort to address this fundamental challenge.”
