MOSCOW, Russian Federation — George Bush's Government is out in the cold over Kyoto - and it's that old Cold War enemy, Russia, that's put it there. The Russian government today moved closer towards ratifying the crucial climate change treaty. But while Bush hangs out in hurricane-ravaged Florida before his first election debate, the US government continues to criticise Kyoto.
Greenpeace activists in 19 countries demonstrated in 2003 in front of Russian Embassies urging President Putin to sign the Kyoto Protocol.
The tipping point
Whatever Putin's motives, the fact that he and the Russian
government have taken this first step is undoubtably good news for
anyone worried about climate change - and a slap in the face for
George Bush and oil companies like ExxonMobil. The Kyoto
ratification comes as a breath of fresh (and unpolluted) air at a
time when news headlines are dominated by oil dependency and
extreme weather horror stories.
"As the Earth is battered by increasing storms, floods and
droughts, President Putin has brought us to a pivotal point in
human history today," said Greenpeace International Climate
Campaigner, Steve Sawyer.
The final decision about whether or not Russia will ratify Kyoto
now rests with the Russian Parliament, the Duma. If it votes in
favour, the Kyoto Protocol will enter into force and will become
international law, a decision likely to happen within a few weeks.
The Protocol must be ratified by no less than 55 countries
accounting for at least 55 percent of global emissions in 1990, so
Russia could finally tip the scale.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch
But George W. Bush insists on raining on the parade. The US
emits one fifth of the world's greenhouse gases, so unless the US
ratifies or at the very least changes its domestic policies - a
scenario distinctly unlikely under Bush - Kyoto will not fully
achieve its targets. "Kyoto is 'an unrealistic and ever-tightening
regulatory straitjacket, curtailing energy consumption'," said the
U.S. Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs, in the Financial
Times.
The United States and several other large industrial countries
such as China and Australia have not yet ratified the treaty, but
they are definitely out in the cold on this one - as of July 29th
2004, 124 countries had ratified.
What now?
The Kyoto Protocol is an important first step in tackling
climate change - but there is still a long way to go. "To tackle
climate change we must stop relying on oil, coal and gas to meet
our energy needs and urgently redirect our investment into safer,
cleaner sources of energy such as wind, wave and solar power," said
Steve Sawyer.
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