INTERVIEW - Washington Rejects Senators' Calls on Climate Caps
Date: 20-Nov-06
Country: KENYA
Author: Alister Doyle, Environment Correspondent
"Our view is that these caps ... are ones which can have harmful impact on the American economy," said Paula Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs. She said that the administration was open to dialogue with Congress.
"The point is that our policy is working," to restrain growth in emissions of heat-trapping gases, Dobriansky, who leads the US delegation to UN climate talks in Nairobi, told Reuters on the final day of Nov. 6-17 meeting.
"These caps bring up energy prices and affect consumers," she said. Most other industrial nations have agreed caps on emissions, mostly from burning fossil fuels, under the UN's Kyoto Protocol as a first step meant to curb global warming.
Some US states including California also favour caps.
Three Democratic senators, who are to lead environment committees in Congress after wresting control from Republicans following elections last week, wrote to Bush on Wednesday saying they would push for mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions.
"The president is very committed to the policy and strategy which he has set forth," Dobriansky said. "At the same time the administration welcomes and looks forward to a continued dialogue with our Congress on this very important issue."
Saying US policies were working, Dobriansky pointed to UN data showing that US emissions gained 1.3 percent from 2000-04 -- less than an overall 2.9 percent rise by parties to the Kyoto Protocol.
In the same period, the US economy grew by 11.7 percent.
CUTS, GAINS
Kyoto backers counter that US emissions were 15.8 percent above 1990 levels in 2004 against a 15.3 percent cut in emissions by Kyoto countries. The collapse of Soviet-era smokestack industries has helped cut Kyoto emissions.
And US policies will allow emissions to rise to 2012 while Kyoto countries say they are committed to their curbs.
Kyoto obliges 35 rich countries to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, mainly from power plants, factories and cars, to 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12.
Bush pulled out in 2001, saying Kyoto would damage the US economy and wrongly omitted developing nations. Kyoto backers see caps as a first step to avert far more costly threats such as more storms, droughts, heatwaves and rising seas.
Bush, in office since 2001, has set a goal of curbing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per dollar of economic growth by 18 percent in the decade to 2012 -- a less strict goal than Kyoto's caps.
Asked if Bush would leave office in 2009 without setting any climate goals beyond 2012, Dobriansky said:
"This issue is an important issue for the administration, it's an important issue for our Congress, it's an important issue for the American people. I think you can expect to have a continued dialogue with Congress, with the American public."