October 22, 2004

Clean Air Council Statement on Russian Ratification of the Kyoto Protocol

Arthur Stamoulis, Policy Analyst:

"The United States leads the world in global warming pollution. Pennsylvania alone pollutes more than 105 developing countries put together. Unfortunately, the U.S. is dead last in coming up with solutions to this problem. President Bush and Congress have backed away from action on this important issue. That's devastating for the environment, but it's also going to be bad for the economy in the long run.

"With the passage of the Kyoto Protocol, managing greenhouse gases is no longer just an environmental issue-it's a strategic business opportunity. Green technology is going to take off in the rest of the world, with the United States left twiddling its thumbs. American businesses that are shut out from changing foreign markets will be among the biggest losers if the United States fails to get serious about renewable energy and energy efficiency.

"Hopefully recent developments in Russia will convince America's last global warming holdouts that a cap on U.S. carbon pollution is inevitable. The United States could be left behind in the next round of energy development and technological innovation."

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BACKGROUND: Earlier today, the Russian Duma voted to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. Russian ratification means that the Protocol's threshold for enactment-ratification by developed nations responsible for over 55 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions in 1990-will be met. The Kyoto Protocol was agreed to by governments at a 1997 U.N. conference in Kyoto, Japan, and requires that participating developed nations reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by 5.2 percent of 1990 levels during the five-year period 2008-2012. The U.S. helped negotiate the Kyoto Protocol during the Clinton Administration, but withdrew from participation under the Bush administration in March 2001.