September 2004
CIEL applauds Russia’s decision to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, thereby ensuring the Protocol will soon enter into force. Like many NGOs from all over the world, CIEL has worked very hard for this achievement.
Sadly, this good news is tempered by the continued refusal of the United States government to participate in the Kyoto Protocol or take other meaningful action to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Only at the state and local levels has the United States shown an inclination to deal with the issue. While state and local actions cannot take the place of federal engagement, they can be important in getting U.S. businesses to begin developing strategies to address global warming and to reducing greenhouse gas emissions in other ways. We now will begin looking for ways to link state and regional programs like the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative in the Northeast United States to the Kyoto Protocol (by working through the EU Emissions Trading System, for example).
At this important moment, we call on both President Bush and Senator Kerry to join with the rest of the world’s leaders and announce a commitment to the success of the Kyoto Protocol.