In Article 2, the Protocol says that the developed countries shall undertake various policies and methods "such as" improving energy efficiency, promotion of sustainable agriculture, research and development addressed to new and renewable energy sources, ending energy subsidies and so forth. This phrasing was a compromise between countries that wanted the Protocol to specify mandatory measures and those that did not." The elasticity of the language leaves it up to governments to interpret the article as they choose. A Final Comment The Kyoto conference was the beginning, not the culmination, of the first serious international attempt to address greenhouse emissions and the prospect of climate change. Kyoto was not the last word but rather only a stage in working toward genuinely binding international agreements. That has disappointed those people who had hoped for dramatic action. But it was consistent with the advice that scientists are still far from a reliable grasp of the planet's climatology, just as its diplomats and politicians are far from a consensus on dealing with it. The climate is not the only factor that will affect the quality of life on this Earth in the 21" century. The population of the world is also rising rapidly. While its rate of growth has slowed over the last several decades, it is still rising several times as fast as the CO, concentrations in the atmosphere. The world's economic output in recent years has been rising half again as fast as its population and there are few people - certainly not President Clinton --who are prepared to slow down productivity in order to protect the climate. Global warming, population increase and economic expansion are all related to each other. "It is our solemn obligation to move forward with courage and foresight to pass our home on to our children and future generations." Clinton said at the National Geographic Society in October. But because of all that a restless and creative humanity does from day to day, our children and future generations are going to live in a world very different from the present one. A changing climate will be only one of those differences. ### Endnotes A useful summary of this history is provided by Matthew Paterson, Global Warming and Global Politics, London and New York, 1996. See Chapters 2 and 3. 2 U.S. Department of Energy, Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 1996, Washington, DC, Oct. 22, 1997. 3 While the reports were actually published in book form in 1996, their conclusions had become widely known in late 1995 as various meetings approved the texts. The section on science became public Nov. 30, 1995, at a meeting in Madrid. 4 Houghton, J. T., and others, eds., Climate Change 1995: the Science of Climate Change, Cambridge, 1996, p. 439. "This summary of the report's summary comes from op. cit., pp. 1-7, 28. * See, for example, the testimony of Ronald G. Prinn, director of the MIT Center for Global Change Science, before the subcommittee on energy and environment of the Committee on Science, U.S. House of Representatives, Oct. 7, 1997. Prinn told the committee that forecasts of slow or rapid growth are equally defensible, in the present state of knowledge, and in his view it would be as irresponsible to overreact as to do nothing. "See, for example, the testimony of John R. Christy, University of Alabama, Huntsville, before the Committee on Environment and Public Works, U. S. Senate, July 10, 1997. 10 Bruce, James P., and others, eds., Climate Change 1995: Economic and Social Dimensions of Climate Change, Cambridge, 1996, p. 26. "Repetto, Robert, and Duncan Austin, The Costs of Climate Protection: a Guide for the Perplexed, World Resources Institute, Washington, 1997. 12 U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, press release, Nov. 12, 1997. 13 Warrick, Joby, The Washington Post, p. A-1, Dec. 13, 1997. See also the detailed and very useful account of the proceedings published by the semi-official Earth Negotiations Bulletin, Vol. 12, No. 76, available on the Internet at www.iisd.ca/linkages/vol12/enb1276e.html#1. "On this subject I am indebted to two articles in Weathervane by Raymond J. Kopp, Richard D. Morgenstern and Michael A. Toman, "The Kyoto Protocol: Unresolved Issues," at http:// www.weathervane.rff.org/features/feature026.html, and "The Realities of Implementation," http://www.weathervane.rff.org/features/featureo27.html. weathervane A DIGITAL FORUM ON GLOBAL CLIMATE POLICY As policymakers prepare for the upcoming meeting of the Conference of the Parties, Resources for the Future (RFF) recently launched Weathervane, an internet forum dedicated to climate change policy. Published at http://www.weathervane.rff.org, Weathervane is designed to provide the news media, legislators, opinion leaders, and the interested public with analysis and commentary on U.S. and international policy initiatives designed to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. Just as a traditional weathervane tracks the direction of the wind, Weathervane tracks the developments in climate change policy, both internationally and within the United States. And, just as one of the basic rules for designing a weather vane is that there must be equal mass on either side of its center, its editorial aim is to present balanced and objective information, with no one perspective or viewpoint dominating our analysis and reporting. With the stakes potentially enormous on all sides of this complicated issue, Weathervane strives to provide a neutral forum for careful analysis to complement the political calculations that so often drive decisions. Weathervane includes feature articles and news commentary written by the online publication's staff, RFF researchers, and invited policymakers and opinion leaders. The site also contains a number of departments. These include: nity to weigh in with their opinions on a selected topic. The essays solicited are "quotable," on-the-record statements by the people most intimately involved in climate change policy. WWW.WEATHERVANE.RFF.ORG A regular column by RFF's Ray Kopp to help decode and demystify energy and by the numbers environmental data and create a better understanding of the link between economic data and policy formulation. AT THE NEGOTIATING TABLE At the Negotiating Table, a running column devoted to tracking developments in interna tional policy, the key players in the debate, key reports issued by various government and intergovernmental groups, and international meetings. Other features include: Research Spotlight, which sheds light on new climate findings and projects; Sounding Off, an open forum for site visitors to voice their opinions on a variety of topics related to climate change; and, an expanding glossary of economic, environmental and ecological terms often used in climate change negotiations. Since its launch in mid-July, Weathervane has, as of November 1, hosted more than 12,250 site visitors who have logged nearly 212,000 hits to individual pages. In addition to the U.S., site visitors have logged in from Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Japan, France, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, the UK, Austria, South Korea, Taiwan, Italy, Malaysia, and Brazil, among other countries. Join the climate change debate today at www.weathervane.rff.org! To receive free e-mail updates about new features and articles at Weathervane, send the e-mail message “subscribe” to Weathervane-Request@rff.org. |