Forwarded by Jane Clark

From:     Sierra Club Action Daily
     Volume II, #277
     November 28, 2000

  GLOBAL WARMING:  U.S. INACTION LED TO FAILURE AT CLIMATE CHANGE
     NEGOTIATIONS

     TAKE ACTION:  Write letters-to-the-editor bemoaning U.S. apathy
     towards reducing global warming pollution

     Rather than requiring verifiable action, the loopholes pushed by the
     U.S. would have allowed unenforceable pollution trading deals.
     Instead of producing cleaner cars, these loopholes would have allowed
     polluters to plant forests of saplings abroad.  Instead of cuts in
     power plant emissions, they would have allowed credit for past
     pollution reductions.

     Instead of heading to The Hague Summit armed with emissions
     reductions, the U.S. position was brimming with loopholes and risky
     pollution trading schemes that would have caused the Kyoto Protocol to
     lose any and all environmental integrity.  The recent climate change
     negotiations broke down because the U.S. - the world's largest global
     warming polluter - failed to be a leader in reducing it's global
     warming pollution.  Instead of working with other nations to reduce
     the pollution that causes global warming, the United States
     continually pushed bogus "emissions trading" schemes which would
     substitute delay for action.

     The trading loopholes in the Kyoto Protocol would have allowed the
     biggest polluters to do little to reduce global warming pollution.
     These loopholes ran the risk of undermining real progress: instead of
     picking low-hanging fruit, like promoting efficient cars and
     buildings, the U.S. promoted scavenging the rotten fruit on the
     ground.

     In a recent Washington Post article, Sierra Club Executive Director,
     Carl Pope said, "As the world's biggest global-warming polluter, we
     should be taking the lead in cutting our production of greenhouse
     gases.  Unfortunately, America is shirking its responsibilities by
     promoting a risky system to trade pollution instead of reducing it.
     This leadership by inaction approach is indefensible."  Full text of
     the article can be seen at:

     www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A52927-2000Nov22.html

     The U.S. committed to reducing its global warming pollution and we
     must meet this obligation by cutting our domestic emissions, not with
     smoke and mirrors.  The United States bears the greatest
     responsibility for solving the global warming problem because it is
     the world's top polluter.

     Sanjay Ranchod, Chair of the Sierra Club's Global Warming Committee
     attended The Hague Summit and pointed to the Club's latest global
     warming map as evidence that, "the U.S. emits almost a quarter of
     global warming pollution despite having only four percent of the
     world's population. While other countries are not blameless, the U.S.
     deserves special recognition as the world's only superpower and
     biggest polluter."

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